Austria to decide on compulsory military conscription, amid wave of European remilitarisation

Russia’s war in Ukraine has triggered a defence rethink across Europe — and a new wave of remilitarisation.

Around the turn of the millennium, many countries dropped the compulsory military draft and switched to volunteer armies. But the changing geopolitical priorities of the US under president Donald Trump have left Europeans increasingly responsible for their own security, and that new reality is forcing a U-turn towards mandatory military service.

Austria is among the European countries that kept conscription in place.

Twenty years ago, however, mandatory military service was shortened from eight to six months, and compulsory reserve training was abolished.

That could now be set to change.

Austria's defence minister Klaudia Tanner (from the centre-right Austrian People's Party, ÖVP) set up a commission which is shortly due to present its proposals for the further development of military and civilian service.

The reform commission is widely expected to recommend an extension of basic military service and compulsory reserve training.

Whether this proposal will be implemented remains unclear. A “broad consensus” is needed, according to Tanner, since military service is linked to civilian service.

How does this compare with approaches taken in other European countries?

Voluntary military service in France

France abolished compulsory military service in 2002. In 2019, president Emmanuel Macron introduced universal national service to let young people serve for one month in civilian or military institutions as a way of participating in “the life of the nation.”

More recently, the government unveiled a new campaign to recruit volunteers for an expanded form of military service. 

Earlier this month, Macron presented a new form of voluntary military service intended to meet the "needs of the armed forces” in light of the increased risk of conflict.

Starting in September, 3,000 young people aged 18 to 25 will serve for 10 months within France, carrying out tasks ranging from disaster relief to kitchen or workshop assignments to counter-terrorism operations.

The volunteer numbers are projected to rise to 10,000 a year by 2030 and 42,500 by 2035.

Solution in Germany

Germany suspended its compulsory military service in 2011. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the new goal has been to recruit an additional 80,000 recruits by 2030 to increase the Bundeswehr’s strength to 260,000.

Following months of negotiations, the 'Grand Coalition' (CDU and SPD) government unveiled its plans in November.

Since 1 January, young men have been subject to mandatory registration and assessment, though enlistment in the Bundeswehr remains voluntary for the time being. Financial incentives, including subsidies, are intended to boost recruitment.

If not enough volunteers step forward, however, a so-called “compulsory needs-based military service” will come into effect. Its precise form would then be decided by the Bundestag.

As a last resort, conscripts could be chosen by lottery.

Italy suspended compulsory military service in 2005. In late November, defence minister Guido Crosetto proposed introducing a voluntary form of military service.

Poland, the Baltic States and Finland

In eastern Europe, closer to Russia, the response has been swifter.

In Poland, where conscription was abolished in 2010, the government began offering temporary voluntary programmes in April 2022 to bolster troop numbers.

For example, recruits can undergo a 27-day training course and then join the reserves, or they can stay on for an additional 11 months and then apply for a place in the professional army.

November 2025 saw the introduction of a new military training programme open to all Polish citizens, from primary school children to pensioners.

Poland already has the largest armed forces in the EU, with around 200,000 professional soldiers, and according to prime minister Donald Tusk this number is set to rise to 500,000.

Estonia, Latvia, and Sweden have reintroduced conscription. Lithuania did so in 2015, a year after Moscow’s war in Donbass and the annexation of Crimea. 

Finland never abolished conscription.

Helsinki maintains mandatory military service for most men, combined with a strong emphasis on reserves. Like Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia, Finland treats conscription as a core tool of deterrence against Russia, but rather as a continuation of Cold War–era practice rather than a post‑Crimea or post‑Donbass reintroduction.

Translated by Anton Baer (Voxeurop)

This article was produced as part of PULSE, a European initiative supporting transnational journalistic collaborations. It was originally published by the Austrian media Der Standard.