Raphael S. Cohen
After decades of becoming increasingly rare, the military draft is back in the debate.
Israel—which has long had mandatory conscription—is currently debating whether or not to lengthen its service for reservists as a result of its ongoing war against Hamas and Hezbollah, and it may soon expand the draft to the currently exempted ultra-Orthodox population following an Israeli Supreme Court ruling voiding the exemption last month. In May, Ukraine expanded its draft in order to replenish its forces as it continues to fight off the Russian invasion. Russia has similarly broadened its compulsory military service in response to mounting casualties in Ukraine. In the Baltic states, Latvia reintroduced the draft in 2023 following Russia's attack on Ukraine; Lithuania reintroduced it in 2015 in response to Russia's 2014 invasion of Ukraine; Estonia never abolished it. And halfway across the world, Taiwan recently lengthened its conscription period in response to increasingly menacing threats from China.
Even countries not directly on the front line are talking about reinstituting a draft or expanding an existing one. Back in January, British General Staff chief Patrick Saunders made political waves when he stated that the United Kingdom would need a “citizen army” should it find itself in a major war—a remark widely interpreted as calling for a reintroduction of the draft. In March, Denmark announced plans to expand its draft to include women and lengthen its time of service. And in May, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that he was “convinced that Germany needs some kind of military conscription.” The issue has even gotten some attention in the United States, as highlighted by recent congressional debates over whether young women should be required to register for selective service.
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