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The end of the cold war prompted a number of European countries to phase out conscription and construct all-volunteer forces (AVFs). Despite this trend, many European countries plan to retain some level of conscription. The disparity between those countries eliminating conscription and those retaining it cannot be accounted for by any single factor, and each country is responding to the particular international and domestic pressures it faces. In general however, those countries retaining conscription fall into two categories (1) countries that stood outside the cold war alliance structure and consequently built the ability to mobilize a large proportion of the male population in the event of war, and (2) those countries that are new political entities still attempting to construct viable armed forces. Although the practice of conscription has declined in Europe, it is unlikely to be eliminated in the near future. (JEL H56, J38)
ABBREVIATIONS
AVF: All-Volunteer Force
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
I. INTRODUCTION
Militaries across Europe are downsizing, and some are eliminating conscription in favor of all-volunteer forces (AVFs). The transition is often bumpy and at times has been opposed by the military leadership. For example, in France, President Jacques Chirac surprised the military when he announced an end to conscription in 1996. Military leaders objected; conscription, they argued, was the only way to get computer programmers and language specialists (Block, 2000). Otherwise, they would face the costly alternative of paying competitive wages or finding other ways to make military service attractive to such skilled individuals.
Despite greater use of voluntarism across the continent, most European countries still plan to retain conscription. Germany has cut the number of conscripts but has no plans to move to a completely volunteer military. All of the Scandinavian countries plan to retain conscription, as well as the Central and Eastern European countries (see Tables 1 and 2).
Why are some countries in Europe abandoning conscription whereas others plan to retain it? The end of the cold war and the increasing sophistication of weapons systems are often cited as reasons for eliminating conscription (Sands, 2001). Although geopolitical and technological factors may be important contributors to the termination of the draft in some European countries, the disparity between those countries eliminating conscription and those retaining...