Dec 22 (Reuters) – As the United States presses on with talks on a potential peace deal to end the Ukraine war, European leaders have warned about Russia’s threat to Europe at a time when some countries across the continent are struggling to staff their armed forces.
Russia denies any plan to attack European countries.
Here are details on how various European countries are trying to boost their military ranks:
GERMANY
Germany’s government agreed in November on a new military service scheme with higher pay and better incentives. Military service will remain voluntary but with the option of a mandatory call-up if the scheme fails to attract enough new recruits.
The country wants to increase the number of soldiers to 260,000 from some 180,000 currently and to double the number of reservists to 200,000.
Under the proposals, expected to come into law at the start of 2026, a system of mandatory registration and medical screening will be introduced, while any compulsory call-up would be subject to a separate vote in the parliament. A change to the constitution would be needed to apply the call-up to women too.
FRANCE
France will create a new voluntary youth military service that should begin by mid-2026, President Emmanuel Macron said in November. The scheme would last 10 months and be open to 18 and 19-year-olds and they would be paid.
It aims to engage 3,000 people in 2026, rising to 10,000 by 2030. Macron said his ambition was for the scheme to recruit 50,000 young people by 2035.
More broadly France intends to secure 100,000 reservists by 2030, according to Macron’s aides, up from around 47,000 now. Its armed forces would then total around 210,000 by 2030.
BRITAIN
Britain’s defence minister has said the government aims to increase the size of the army to at least 76,000 full-time soldiers during the next parliament that is likely to begin in 2029, as this is when funding is likely to allow expansion.
The army currently numbers nearly 74,000 and reservists number about 25,000, while the total armed forces comprise nearly 181,000 personnel.
Britain is focused for now on retaining staff and modernising the service. It has no plans to introduce conscription.
DENMARK
Denmark plans to gradually increase the duration of its conscription period from four to 11 months in 2026 and raise recruits’ numbers from around 5,000 to 7,500 in 2033. From 2025, Denmark also requires women to register for conscription.
FINLAND
Finland maintains a war-time troop strength of 280,000 soldiers through mandatory male conscription, adding around 20,000 new soldiers to the reserve troops annually. But a falling birth rate threatens to limit future reserve numbers.
Finland’s chief of defence, General Janne Jaakkola, recently told public broadcaster YLE that in the coming years Finland should consider whether to expand mandatory military service to include women, who can currently serve voluntarily.
Men are liable for service until age 60, but the government wants to raise the age limit to 65. This change would bring Finland’s military reserve from 870,000 troops to around 1 million in 2031.
ITALY
Italy urgently needs a new civilian and military unit employing 5,000 people to combat hybrid warfare threats, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said in a strategic report published in November. The new unit, which would need to be operational at all times, could initially employ 1,200-1,500 people, with a gradual increase to 5,000, he said.
Italy’s defence ministry has said its regular recruitment campaign aims to enrol 6,000 volunteers on “fixed-term contracts” for 2026, from 6,500 in the 2025 call for applications.
NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands wants to increase its army personnel from 74,000 to 200,000, with a special focus on expanding the reservist capacity, public broadcaster NOS said in March.
POLAND
Poland, which has one of NATO’s largest militaries, will roll out a military training programme as part of a broader plan to train around 400,000 people in 2026, the country’s defence ministry said in November.
It will be voluntary and open to all citizens, offering a basic security course, survival training, medical instruction and cyber-hygiene classes.
ROMANIA
Romania has ramped up volunteer recruitment since Russia invaded Ukraine, promoting higher pay and military schooling.
Despite stable overall numbers, defence ministry sources have said Romania is struggling with training and retaining highly skilled personnel, including fighter jet pilots and forces trained to use air defence and missile equipment.
The parliament recently approved a bill regulating voluntary army service for men and women aged 18-35, offering four months of paid training and a bonus equivalent to three gross monthly salaries upon completion.
SWEDEN
Sweden reintroduced conscription in 2017. This year just over 7,000 conscripts were enrolled, with roughly 1,000 volunteering separately. The country aims to raise this figure to 12,000 by 2032.
Conscription is expected to supply most of the soldiers needed for army expansion, but recruiting professional officers is a potentially greater issue, with large numbers set to retire over the next five years.
At the end of 2023, Sweden’s armed forces employed 9,700 professional officers, a number it plans to raise to at least 11,800 in 2035. It expects the number of civilian personnel in the armed forces to rise by about 30% in the coming years.
(Reporting by Vera Dvorakova and Elviira Luoma in Gdansk, additional reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, Luiza Illie, Kate Holton, Sarah Marsh, Anne Kauranen, Alessandro Parodi and Niklas Pollard; Editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak and Gareth Jones)
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