Economist "Some Countries Consider Reintroducing Conscription"
"Young Generation Reluctant to Serve... Focus on Countries with Mandatory Military Service"
Amid unstable geopolitical conditions, movements to revive the 'conscription system' are emerging in countries around the world.
The British weekly news magazine The Economist reported on the 17th (local time) that the revival of conscription is becoming a hot topic as it is difficult for countries to recruit new soldiers.
Europe is seeking to strengthen its military forces, triggered by the war in Ukraine. France plans to increase its regular army personnel from the current 240,000 to 275,000 by 2030. Poland, which borders Russia, plans to increase its forces by about 20,000 from 197,000 within this year, with a final goal of 300,000.
The Economist stated that the individualistic younger generation is reluctant to enlist, causing many countries to struggle with recruitment. The tendency is that the wealthier a country becomes, the weaker the willingness to sacrifice for the nation, and especially countries that have experienced defeat or military dictatorship tend to have a more skeptical view of the military.
According to the World Values Survey (WVS), an international public opinion research organization, only 36% of respondents aged 16 to 29 in the Netherlands answered "yes" to the question "Are you willing to fight for your country in an emergency?" In the United States and Germany, this rate was also around 40%.
The Economist analyzed that countries where the younger generation has a strong willingness to fight for their country in emergencies are those that implement conscription, such as South Korea, Taiwan, Denmark, and Finland.
It also introduced that although South Korea's military environment has been evaluated as harsh, recent changes have been made such as reducing the service period to 18 months and increasing wages. The media added that the South Korean government mentioned "female soldiers," which stirred anger among conscription-eligible men and fueled anti-feminist politics.
Since 1995, 13 OECD countries have abolished conscription, and only 8 out of 32 NATO countries maintain conscription. Although conscription disappeared in many countries as the Cold War ended and military activities shifted to advanced technology, some countries are recently considering reintroducing mandatory military service.
The countries most urgently conducting conscription are those at war or facing serious threats. Ukraine lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25 due to the war with Russia. Israel, which is at war in the Gaza Strip, is also pushing for an extension of the male service period.
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