Strengthening European Defense: A โWave of Military Reforms
Across Europe, nations are re-evaluating โandโค reforming their military structures,โข driven by evolving geopolitical concerns and a desire to bolster defense capabilities. While approaches vary, a commonโฃ thread is the pursuit of increased recruitment, modernized training, and a stronger reserve force.
Germany‘s Push for Increased Recruitment
Germany is โactively seeking โขto reform its military โservice, maintainingโข a voluntary system butโฃ aiming โฃto substantially boost recruitment numbers. Currently, less โขthan 0.35% of the German population โserves in โขthe Bundeswehr, despite a nominal strength โคof over 185,000 personnel. This places โgermany near โthe bottom of the โEuropean ranking, alongside Sweden,โฃ Hungary, Belgium,โ and luxembourg.โ In contrast, โGreece leads with approximately 1.7% ofโค its population (around 110,000 soldiers) actively serving.other โคnations with high percentages include Lithuania, Poland, Finland, and latvia.
A Continent in Motion: Diverse Reform Models
Germany isn’t alone in its pursuitโค of military modernization. Several other European countries are actively considering โor implementing changes โto 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-oldsโ participating in โขa year-long program with โฃtraining compensation.
Poland: Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans in March 2025 โto introduce a new โขmilitary service model aimed atโ recruiting 100,000 new personnel annually.
* โ Belgium: Defense Minister Theo Francken advocatesโข for a volunteer-based military โขservice to recruit 500 additional reservists in 2026, increasing to 1,000 per year from 2027.
Currently, ten European countries maintain compulsory โคmilitaryโค service: Austria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland,โ Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, sweden, and, as of 2025, โขCroatia. 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 โคSuccesses: The Swedish and Finnish Models
Germany is notably looking to the Swedish model for โinspiration. Sweden employs a selective, two-step process. all 18-year-olds complete a questionnaire assessing health, physical ability, and motivation.Based โon these responses, โคapproximately 30,000 individuals are โinvited forโ comprehensive aptitude tests – medical, โphysical, psychological, logical, knowledge-based, and personality assessments – alongside educational requirements. Thisโค process ultimately selects around 8,000โ young people โforโ service ranging from four to eleven months. Swedenโฃ maintains approximately 23,100 activeโค professional soldiers, according to a recent โฃNATO estimate.
Finland, which has consistently maintained military service, โขdemonstrates a “holistic approach” to defense. While itsโ active professional army numbers โขaround 30,800, it can mobilizeโ nearly 285,000 reservists in an emergency. Reservists are called up for โperiodic training untill the age of 60 and have accessโข to ongoingโ educational opportunities, with 50,000 participating annually.
Increased Investment and a Unified Approach
these national reforms are โoccurringโ alongside increasing โฃeuropean defense spending. While the conceptโ of a unified multinational force remains a future โขgoal, NATO Secretaryโข General Mark โrutte recently emphasized โa growing sense of collective โsecurity, stating, “We are now all on the side is, that we live in Londonโข or Tallinn.” This sentiment underscores a broader shift towards strengthened European defense capabilitiesโ and a more unified approach to security challenges.