Following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, several European states re-introduced conscription while others took steps to increase the effectiveness of existing conscription arrangements. Compulsory military service, often regarded as an anachronism in the post-Cold War period, has thus re-emerged as a means to ensure that relatively large wartime force structures can be generated at low cost and, in some cases, to provide personnel to standing units.
This analysis presents case studies of states that either use conscription today (Finland, Israel, Norway) or have done in the past (Sweden, the Soviet Union, East Germany and West Germany) to man their armed forces. A focus is how conscripts might be used to build greater levels of readiness. Arrangements designed for this purpose were more prevalent during the Cold War, but several states are, in today’s degraded security environment, developing approaches to elevate the role of conscripts in increasing defence readiness. The contemporary practice and historical examples presented offer models and experience for states who might be building, or reforming conscription systems to consider.
Download and read: High Readiness Conscription – Case Studies from Today and the Cold War (PDF)