When in 1996, French President Jacques Chirac announced the suspension of conscription, it was a decision that was characterized by a section of the press as a big bang, as it overturned the long tradition of a draft army. After three decades, it comes, not as a rupture, but as a sealing of one about what constitutes security policy and a national army.
France: hybrid model
In particular, Macron, during his speech to the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade in Vars, in the French Alps, announced the resumption of – voluntary – military service from the summer of 2026. “The service will only concern volunteers and its core will be young people aged 18 and 19, who will serve on French soil,” he said and clarified that the conscription period will be 10 months. “My ambition for France is to reach 50,000 young men by 2036, depending on the evolution of threats,” added Macron, who set the goal of the country’s total armed forces reaching around 210,000 by 2030.
In other words, it is a hybrid model, which, although it moves away from the trend of small, strictly professional forms, does not adopt the logic of mass, compulsory conscription. And it is an understandable development, considering that a number of European Union (EU) member states are considering what kind of military force they need, under the new conditions.
Equally such a shift since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 made Moscow a key security risk for the majority of EU states. And Trump’s re-election to the US presidency is interpreted as a turn to isolationism and is possessed by a foreign policy of transactional perception, which leaves no room for European leaders to feel confident about the American “security umbrella”.
What is true in Europe?
However, a first, brief look at what is in force on the European continent shows that conscription models are varied, with some countries having remained in conscription and others having adopted a model based on volunteering. However, a common trend is the extension of conscription to women, still on a voluntary basis, for the vast majority of EU member states.
In , starting January 1, 2026, all men will be required to register for possible military service. So 700,000 young people born in 2008 or later will be called to complete their registration and medical examinations, Spahn Jens Spahn, chairman of the ruling CDU/CSU parliamentary group, said recently, adding that women will also receive a letter, but unlike men, they are not required to answer.
In Spain, Hungary, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Belgium the military has only been professional, for decades. The same in Italyalthough the Secretary of Defense has recently proposed the conscription of volunteers, to build up a reserve of 10,000 men. In Irelandthe institution of conscription is unknown. At United Kingdomconscription has been a thing of the past since May 1963, with the army being fully professional, assisted by volunteers.
In , the duration of military service is extended from four to 11 months, while at the same time compulsory service is also extended to women, from the summer of the same year.
In Finlandthe conscription of adult men has been a state law since the country’s independence in 1919. The term of service varies from six to 12 months, and after their discharge, hoplites are put on a reserve list until the age of 60. Since 1995, women have been able to serve voluntarily.
In Switzerland and Austria – countries primarily associated with armed neutrality – military service was and remains compulsory for men over 18, with duration estimated at 4.5 to 6 months and women’s conscription being voluntary.
In Cyprus, full military service lasts 14 months. For women, conscription is voluntary, with recent legislation (April 2025) allowing them to be classified as hoplite volunteers.
In Greececonscription has remained in force continuously for men, since 1909. Today, conscription is compulsory for all Greek male citizens, from the age of 19 to 45, with its basic duration having changed from time to time, but currently being 12 months for all three bodies (Army, Navy, Air Force), with conditional exceptions. The Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, announced that from 2026, a pilot program for women’s voluntary conscription will begin.
On Baltic countries, conscription is a relatively new phenomenon, with the exception of Estoniawhich was the first to establish compulsory conscription, at the same time as its declaration of independence, in 1991. Today the duration of the term is 11 months, as in the neighboring Latvia, which made the performance of military duties compulsory in 2023.
OR Lithuania it reinstated compulsory military service for men in 2015, after abolishing it in 2008. Obviously, in the case of the two states the timing of the re-introduction of conscription is not unrelated to Moscow’s involvement – directly or indirectly – in Ukrainian affairs.
Speaking of Russiathe following needs to be mentioned: although there is generally a mandatory term of service, lasting 12 months, with the enlistment age ranging from 18 to 30 years, the Russian troops fighting on Ukrainian territory are a special case, since they are recipients of rich bonuses, either from the central state or from the local states of the federation, for the military services they provide, either in the form of salary or compensation, in the event of injury or death.
