The UK Government said it was 'not considering conscription' but that future decisions would respond to a 'new reality'
The UK Government has said that it does not plan to reintroduce conscription, as calls mount for European countries to make participation in armed forces mandatory.
On Sunday, the Latvian President, Edgars Rinkevics said European nations should “absolutely” introduce conscription to counter the threat of Russian aggression.
Latvia reintroduced compulsory military service for adult males on 1 January last year, joining a string of other EU countries including Cyprus, Austria, Finland and Sweden.
“Many other countries need to follow that,” Rinkevics said.
Cabinet office minister Pat McFadden said that the Government was “not considering conscription” but that future decisions would respond to the “new reality” when asked on Sunday.
EMBARGOED TO 0001 FRIDAY APRIL 29 Undated handout photo issued by Ministry of Defence (MoD) of UK military personnel boarding an RAF Voyager aircraft at RAF Brize Norton, as around 8,000 British Army troops will take part in exercises across eastern Europe to combat Russian aggression in one of the largest deployments since the Cold War. Issue date: Friday April 29, 2022. PA Photo. Dozens of tanks will be deployed to countries ranging from Finland to North Macedonia this summer under plans that have been enhanced since the invasion of Ukraine. Joining them will be tens of thousands of troops from Nato and the Joint Expeditionary Force alliance, which includes Finland and Sweden. See PA story POLITICS Ukraine Exercises. Photo credit should read: Sharron Flyod/Ministry of Defence/Crown Copyright/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Around 8,000 British Army troops are taknig part in exercises across eastern Europe to combat Russian aggression (Photo: Sharron Flyod/Ministry of Defence/Crown Copyright/PA)
“We’ve announced a major increase in defence expenditure a couple of weeks ago and we do have to recognise that the world has changed,” he told Sky News.
“The phrase ‘step up’ is used a lot in recent weeks and Europe does have to step up in terms of its own defence. President Trump isn’t actually the first president to say that, but he said it more loudly and with more force than his predecessors.”
He added: “When the world is changing as fast as it is, it’s important that we don’t cling on to old assumptions. It may be why other decisions are needed in the future that respond to a new reality.”
It comes as concern mounts over Trump’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war and approach to international relations, with the US President stripping Ukraine of military aid, intelligence sharing and satellite imagery, and warning that the US may not come to Europe’s defence in the event of further Russian aggression.
Which European nations currently have conscription and how does it work?
Austria
Austria has largely maintained conscription since the days of the Habsburg monarchy in the 18th century. All men aged between 18 to 25 are required to serve in the country’s military or in alternative civilian roles for six or nine months respectively.
Conscientious objectors can fulfil their service by working in social sectors such as hospitals, nursing homes and youth organisations.
Conscription has broad support in Austria with over 59 per cent of the population voting to uphold it in a 2013 referendum.
Denmark
In Denmark, conscription is mandatory for all physically fit men over the age of 18. About 4,700 conscripts undergo basic training each year, according to official figures.
To meet the aim of 5,000 a year, the Danish government announced plans to expand conscription to women, starting from January 2027, and will extend conscription from four to 11 months.
“We do not rearm because we want war. We are rearming because we want to avoid it,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.
Denmark has a long tradition of conscription, dating all the way back to the Viking Age. Conscientious objection has been recognised since 1917.
Sweden
All Swedish citizens, male and female, aged between 16 and 70 are part of the country’s “total defence” strategy to help prepare for war, according to the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency website.
There are three types of service: conscription, civilian service and general compulsory national service.
All 18-year-olds undergo a military or civil service test, but not all will be called up for service. Those that are serve for nine to 12 months with a focus on modern warfare, including training in cybersecurity, peacekeeping missions and regional defence in the Nordic and Baltic regions.
Individuals with conscientious objections to military service are allowed to apply for weapons-free service in the civilian defence.
A soldier of the P18 Gotland Regiment of the Swedish Army camouflages an armoured vehicle during a field exercise near Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland on May 17, 2022. - Finland and Sweden are expected to announce this week whether to apply to join NATO following Russia's Ukraine invasion, in what would be a stunning reversal of decades-long non-alignment policies. On Sweden's strategically-located Baltic Sea island of Gotland, Home Guard troops were last week called in for a special month-long training exercise, coinciding with annual military exercises taking place across Finland and Sweden next week. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP) (Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images)
A soldier of the P18 Gotland Regiment of the Swedish Army camouflages an armoured vehicle during a exercise on the Swedish island of Gotland (Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP)
One of the central reasons Sweden reintroduced military service in 2018 was in response to Russian aggression, in particular the 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Sweden shares a maritime border with Russia.
Swedish officials, including Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist, have repeatedly expressed concerns about Russia’s growing military presence in the Baltic region.
Latvia
Latvia reintroduced compulsory military service for all males in January 2024 after abolishing it in 2006 in order to have 61,000 troops ready for combat. Men must serve for 11 months in the army. Some are exempt from conscription including sole caretakers and guardians of children and those with health issues.
The Baltic country shares a 180-mile border with Russia to its east. Russia has previously voice opposition to Nato’s expansion to Baltic states including Latvia.
Rinkevics has repeatedly called on other European nations to follow suit, referencing the threat from Russia and describing Europe as “quite weak” militarily.
“Seeing what is happening in the world, the decision that we took – many other European countries need to follow that,” he told Sky News on Sunday.
Norway
Those aged 19-44 – or 18-55 during times of war – must complete 19 months of military service in Norway, unless not medically fit or conscientious objectors.
Conscripts normally carry out 12 months of initial duty with the rest to be served in the reserved or annual training with the home guard.
Norway was the first Nato member to introduce gender-neutral conscription, with female conscripts called up in 2015. By 2020, women accounted for a third of new conscripts.
Undated handout photo issued by the Ministry of Defence of Army Commandos load a 105MM Howitzer in Norway. Issue date: Friday February 21, 2025. PA Photo. 29 Commando deploy all over the globe with 3 Commando Brigade providing Artillery fire. They also deploy Fire Support Teams capable of call in fire support Naval gunfire, fast jets, helicopters and mortars. The UK Commando Force is reaffirming its commitment to the high north by deploying to the Arctic circle for Winter Deployment 25. Over 2000 service personnel consisting of Royal Marines, 24 Commando Royal Engineers, 29 Commando Royal Artillery, Commando Helicopter Force and various other supporting units have been deployed to Northern Norway to hone their skills in arctic conditions. Photo credit should read: LPhot Stainer- Hutchins/Ministry of Defence Crown Copyright/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Army Commandos load a 105MM Howitzer in Norway in February 2025. (Photo: Stainer- Hutchins/Ministry of Defence Crown/PA)
Estonia
All male citizens aged 18 to 27 must serve 11 months in Estonia’s army with women able to volunteer. Conscripts serve in various branches of the Estonian Defence Forces, except the air force.
In September 2024, Estonia initiated the €18mn construction of Camp Reedo, the first new military base since the Soviet era, near its border with Russia.
Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said the base would “strengthen our defense capabilities against potential threats from Russia.”
Greece
All male citizens aged between 19 and 45 in Greece are subject to mandatory military service across the army, navy and air force. Women may volunteer.
The service generally lasts 12 months and conscientious objectors on ideological or religious grounds can opt to serve in the civilian service for 15 months.
Conscription is a core component of the country’s defence policy and has been in place, in various guises, since 1912.
A Greek Army officer helps a Greek national who has been evacuated from Sudan, after arriving at a military airport in Elefsina, Greece, April 25, 2023. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
A Greek Army officer helps a Greek national who has been evacuated from Sudan, after arriving at a military airport in Elefsina, Greece, in 2023. (Photo: Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters)
Lithuania
In response to evolving security threats, Lithuania reinstated conscription in 2015, having transitioned to a professional volunteer force in 2008.
Today, service lasts nine months for 18 to 23-year-old men with individuals joining the active reserve for a decade after service.
Women and men outside of the mandatory age range can voluntarily enlist.
“Russia has shown it is ready to act aggressively, and we must be prepared to defend our country and region”, President Gitanas Nausėda told AP in January.
“Our commitment to Nato and strengthening our own defense capabilities, including conscription, is essential in deterring any possible aggression.”
Cyprus
Cyprus imposes mandatory military service on all male citizens and male non-citizens born to at least one Greek Cypriot parent. Service begins when the individual turns 18 and continues until the year they turn 50.
Conscripts must serve 14 months in the Cypriot National Guard, afterwards transitioning to the reserve forces.
Long-standing tensions with neighbouring Turkey, particularly over territorial disputes, and the volatility of the wider Middle East region, are part of the reasoning for conscription.
Finland
Finnish men aged between 18 and 60 undergo compulsory military service, ranging from 165 to 347 days depending on the role. Most serve six to 12 months.
Women can volunteer for all combat roles within the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) and the percentage of women within the military has been growing in recent years.
The conscription system is tied to Finland’s defence doctrine – ‘Total Defence’ which aims to prepare the entire population to defend the country in the event of an invasion.
FILE - Finnish soldiers take part in the Army mechanised exercise Arrow 22 exercise at the Niinisalo garrison in Kankaanpaa, Western Finland, on May 4, 2022. Security concerns over Russia???s ongoing invasion of Ukraine changed the calculus for Finland and Sweden which have long espoused neutrality and caused other traditionally ???neutral??? countries to re-think what that term really means for them. (Heikki Saukkomaa./Lehtikuva via AP, File)
Finnish soldiers take part in an exercise at the Niinisalo garrison in Kankaanpaa, Western Finland. (Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva)
Finland shares an extensive border with Russia and Finnish officials have repeatedly underlined the importance of conscription in the face of perceived threats from Russia.
“Our ability to maintain a credible defense force is what has kept us safe,” President Sauli Niinistö has said.
Last December, Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen warned that “Russia, along with its allies, will continue to pose a threat to Europe even after the end of the war in Ukraine” and “we cannot exclude the possibility of [them] threatening European countries with the use of military force”.