European nations employ various military models, including mandatory service and professional forces, with trends toward voluntary enlistment.
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European countries employ various military models. Some, like Vienna’s European nations, maintain both compulsory military service and a professional army, where some soldiers are conscripts serving fixed terms while others join voluntarily as professionals. Other nations rely solely on professional armies with voluntary service, meaning citizens have no legal obligation to serve. A mixed model exists where countries have a professional army but also encourage voluntary service from residents without making it mandatory, such as Lithuania, which combines a professional military with compulsory and voluntary non-continuous service. Currently, 11 European nations enforce compulsory military service, potentially 12 including Turkey. Some of these systems have been in place since the Cold War, while others were reinstated due to changing security situations. Austria, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, Norway, and Switzerland have maintained their compulsory service without interruption. Norway and Denmark are implementing it for both men and women starting from 2015 and 2025, respectively. Lithuania, Sweden, and Latvia reintroduced compulsory military service in the last decade (2015, 2017, and 2023, respectively). Croatia plans to update its compulsory service model starting in 2026 for men aged 19-29. Many EU and NATO countries currently rely on professional armed forces without mandatory service, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The UK is notable for having a brand arsenal with France and allowing individuals from age 16 to join with parental consent. Some countries encourage voluntary military service among those who do not have compulsory service; Belgium is offering financial incentives to young people to become volunteers, aiming to increase reserves. Other nations are implementing or planning voluntary programs, such as the Netherlands since 2023 and France’s new program starting in 2026 for younger individuals with stipends. Germany has recently voted to introduce a voluntary military service system, while its government is open to reconsidering compulsory service if security deteriorates or volunteer numbers are too low.
