Mandatory military conscription in Europe: addressing past or present threats?

This Info Flash aims to shed light on the case of Latvia, which passed a law in April 2023 calling for the mandatory reintroduction of military conscription after it was abolished in 2007. A perspective on the possible downfalls of such defence policy is analysed, while also contextualising the growing support for mandatory military service across the EU in the 21st century. A brief historical analysis also portrays the main reasons why it was abandoned by most European countries over the course of the last two decades and how the Russian invasion of Ukraine has generated a U-turn in defence policy in the Latvian case.

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Latvia Plans to Increase Its Armed Forces by Reintroducing Compulsory Military Service

On 5 July 2022, Latvian Defence Minister Artis Pabriks announced on Twitter that the Baltic country would undergo a programme to reintroduce compulsory military service. The decision came in response to the growing security concerns over possible Russian aggressive conduct. According to Pabkris’ post on the popular social platform, expanding the number of effective will serve as a deterrent against potential threats coming from its eastern neighbour. From 2007, the Latvian armed forces were composed of career soldiers and part-time serving volunteers, plus a limited number of NATO troops, but now, Pabriks stresses that the system has reached “its limit of power growth”.

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Sweden to Bolster Interoperability with Neighbours with the Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) Programme

Six weeks after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and as talks are getting louder about a possible integration of Sweden into NATO, the Försvarsmakten (Swedish Armed Forces) announced on 4 April 2022 that it had signed a technical agreement with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia to cooperate in a joint-procurement effort. These countries will thus jointly develop a new 6×6 armoured personnel carrier (APC) under the Finnish-led Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) programme, in cooperation with the Finnish armoured vehicle manufacturer Patria.

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