# Some European, Nordic Countries Eyeing Return to Conscription



## The Bread Guy (14 Sep 2016)

Interesting piece Sweden, France, Germany and other countries are either considering or being told to consider a return to conscription - shared under the Fair Dealing provisions of the _Copyright Act_ covering research, private study or education:


> In 2010 the Swedish parliament, having decided it no longer needed the large armed forces that had for centuries defended the country, suspended the mandatory draft. The following year, so did Germany. Other European countries including France, Italy, Latvia and Lithuania likewise scrapped or suspended conscription as they concluded that large-scale defense was no longer necessary. But now the draft is making a comeback in Europe.
> 
> Johan Wiktorin, a Swedish former army officer who is now a security columnist and consultant explained the difficulties his country faced in transitioning to an all-volunteer force: “Volunteer soldiers are not in our culture, and it has been difficult for the armed forces to compete on the labor market.” As a result, the Swedish Armed Forces are having trouble recruiting soldiers, even at the reduced manpower requirements for a volunteer military. With the country’s healthy economy generating plenty of job opportunities, only the most dedicated young men and women will voluntarily join the armed forces—and there have turned out to be too few such people.
> 
> ...


Europe Rediscovers the Military Draft. (2016). _The National Interest_. Retrieved 14 September 2016, from http://nationalinterest.org/feature/europe-rediscovers-the-military-draft-17700?page=show


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## mariomike (14 Sep 2016)

Europe Rediscovers the Military Draft. (2016). 
"With the country’s healthy economy generating plenty of job opportunities, only the most dedicated young men and women will voluntarily join the armed forces—and there have turned out to be too few such people."

“You could get an exception if you knew the tricks,” Feldt said.


Not the same era, not even the same continent, but the more times change...

"Rush to beat Draft swells ( National ) Guard ranks."  "Marriage bureau also busy". ( 1948 )
http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1948/06/22/page/1/article/rush-to-beat-draft-swells-guard-ranks


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## Kirkhill (14 Sep 2016)

http://www.statista.com/statistics/266228/youth-unemployment-rate-in-eu-countries/

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-16-3043_en.htm



> Solidarity is the glue that keeps our Union together.
> 
> The word solidarity appears 16 times in the Treaties which all our Member States agreed and ratified.
> Our European budget is living proof of financial solidarity.
> ...


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