Strengthening European Defense: A Wave of Military Reforms
Across Europe, nations are re-evaluating and reforming their military structures, driven by evolving geopolitical concerns and a desire to bolster defense capabilities. While approaches vary, a common thread is the pursuit of increased recruitment, modernized training, and a stronger reserve force.
Germany‘s Push for Increased Recruitment
Germany is actively seeking to reform its military service, maintaining a voluntary system but aiming to substantially boost recruitment numbers. Currently, less than 0.35% of the German population serves in the Bundeswehr, despite a nominal strength of over 185,000 personnel. This places germany near the bottom of the European ranking, alongside Sweden, Hungary, Belgium, and luxembourg. In contrast, Greece leads with approximately 1.7% of its population (around 110,000 soldiers) actively serving.other nations with high percentages include Lithuania, Poland, Finland, and latvia.
A Continent in Motion: Diverse Reform Models
Germany isn’t alone in its pursuit of military modernization. Several other European countries are actively considering or implementing changes to their military service models.
United Kingdom: Prime Minister Keir Starmer proposed a new “short-term military service” in September 2024, envisioning 15-20% of 18-year-olds participating in a year-long program with training compensation.
Poland: Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans in March 2025 to introduce a new military service model aimed at recruiting 100,000 new personnel annually.
* Belgium: Defense Minister Theo Francken advocates for a volunteer-based military service to recruit 500 additional reservists in 2026, increasing to 1,000 per year from 2027.
Currently, ten European countries maintain compulsory military service: Austria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, sweden, and, as of 2025, Croatia. Both Denmark and Sweden include women in their mandatory service requirements, and many nations with compulsory service offer civil service alternatives with varying terms.Learning from Successes: The Swedish and Finnish Models
Germany is notably looking to the Swedish model for inspiration. Sweden employs a selective, two-step process. all 18-year-olds complete a questionnaire assessing health, physical ability, and motivation.Based on these responses, approximately 30,000 individuals are invited for comprehensive aptitude tests – medical, physical, psychological, logical, knowledge-based, and personality assessments – alongside educational requirements. This process ultimately selects around 8,000 young people for service ranging from four to eleven months. Sweden maintains approximately 23,100 active professional soldiers, according to a recent NATO estimate.
Finland, which has consistently maintained military service, demonstrates a “holistic approach” to defense. While its active professional army numbers around 30,800, it can mobilize nearly 285,000 reservists in an emergency. Reservists are called up for periodic training untill the age of 60 and have access to ongoing educational opportunities, with 50,000 participating annually.
Increased Investment and a Unified Approach
these national reforms are occurring alongside increasing european defense spending. While the concept of a unified multinational force remains a future goal, NATO Secretary General Mark rutte recently emphasized a growing sense of collective security, stating, “We are now all on the side is, that we live in London or Tallinn.” This sentiment underscores a broader shift towards strengthened European defense capabilities and a more unified approach to security challenges.
