Spurred By Trump Turnabout, European Nations Debate Conscription

Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Mar, 2025) Frightened by the prospect of US security disengagement and three years of Moscow's war against Ukraine, European countries are debating reinstating compulsory military service to boost their defences in the face of Russian aggression.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 caught Europe off guard, and fears about the strength of NATO surged further after US President Donald Trump upended the transatlantic alliance, saying Europe must take care of its own security.

Both military analysts and European governments acknowledge that the threat of Russian aggression is real, today even more so than three years ago.

"The Russian military today is larger and better than on February 24, 2022. The Russians have hostile intent against the Baltic states and the EU's eastern flank," said Alexandr Burilkov, a researcher at the Institute of Political Science (IPW) at Heidelberg University.

According to a study Burilkov co-authored for think tank Bruegel and the Kiel Institute, Europe could need 300,000 more troops to deter Russian aggression, in addition to 1.47 million active-duty military personnel.

"Conscription would have to play a role in any such large numbers of new troops," he said.

From Paris to Warsaw, leaders have been looking to boost defence spending in the face of US threats to withdraw its European security guarantees.

But many countries, including France and Britain, have struggled with recruiting and retaining troops. Reintroducing some form of national service -- compulsory or voluntary -- might be even more difficult.

According to a YouGov poll, most people in France (68 percent) and Germany (58 percent) support mandatory military service for young people. Italian and British people are divided, while a majority of Spaniards (53 percent) are against it.

But studies also show that many Europeans are not prepared to defend their countries on the battlefield.

"In a liberal society, the imposition of military constraints has become nearly impossible to implement," said Benedicte Cheron, a French expert who studies links between society and the armed forces.

"As long as there is no invasion of the territory, accepting the political costs of imposing sanctions on those who do not comply with the call-up seems unthinkable."