European militaries are struggling to recruit or even retain soldiers amid the ongoing proxy war with Russia, which has exposed glaring weaknesses in the readiness and military-industrial capacity of European NATO members.
“At NATO meetings, we can talk about equipment, but now we also talk about… the level of retention,” revealed French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu when unveiling new policies to try and persuade French service members to stay.
“Those conversations now exist in all capitals, in all democracies that have professional armies without conscription,” Lecornu said.
French military personnel are, on average, now leaving the service a year earlier than they used to. Germany saw its army reduce in size by over 1,500 in 2023, while Britain faces year-on-year recruitment shortfalls equivalent to around two infantry battalions.
Several governments that have relied on volunteers for years are considering drafting conscripts again. Others believe increasing the recruitment of women could be a panacea and are offering them better pay and conditions — which has had the unintended consequence of prompting male soldiers to change gender in Spain.
Denmark, which is giving away all of its artillery to Ukraine, already practices conscription but is now expanding it to cover women and lengthening the required service period.
Lord William Hague, a former British Foreign Secretary and leader of the governing Conservative Party, argued early this year that the country “needs” to restore a form of conscription.
The 62-year-old also chastised young people for having a sense they possess “a lot of rights without any responsibility to protect them” despite never having served himself.
