European Countries with Mandatory or Voluntary Military Service
– Nine NATO states have mandatory conscription: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, and Turkey.
– In Turkey, men aged 20-41 serve for 6-12 months; Norway conscripts both genders for 12 months.
– Croatia will enforce conscription for 19-29-year-olds starting next year.
– Countries like the UK, France, and Germany rely on professional militaries; UK recruits minors with consent.
– Belgium and the Netherlands introduced voluntary service; Poland began training for adult males in 2024.
– Germany’s volunteers may face reintroduced conscription if needed; France plans to invite young recruits for 10 months of training, starting summer next year.