In Germany three options to reactivate conscription. In Italy Salvini opens, no from Crosetto

In Italy, on the other hand, the hypothesis of a return to conscription brings out divergent positions in the majority. "The League,' announced Vice-Premier and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini, 'has almost concluded the drafting of a project law to reintroduce universal conscription, six months compulsory for boys and girls, in community service, on a regional basis. It is a great form of civic education, with people who can dedicate themselves to rescue, civil defence, first aid, forest protection to be carried out close to home. Once upon a time,' recalled the Lega Nord leader, 'one from Udine went to Bari, and the one from Bari was sent to Udine, having to leave his studies and work. It will no longer be like that, it will be done close to home. I hope that the other political forces will also support the proposal'.

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto closes to this hypothesis. The member of Fratelli d'Italia reiterated that he is against the return of conscription. "The armed forces cannot be thought of as a place to educate young people, which must be done by the family and the school. The armed forces serve to make professionals, who defend institutions and peace. Universal civil service is not something for the armed forces'. This is what he had to say on the project to return compulsory conscription for activities carried out by young people in favour of the community. Crosetto said this when he arrived at the Alpine soldiers' assembly in Vicenza. 'Universal civil service,' he concluded, 'is not something that concerns the armed forces.

In a broader perspective, and in a possible future geopolitical scenario that is to be averted, the Defence Tagata Crosetto evaluates the hypothesis of a sort of voluntary conscription, to train no more than ten thousand Italians as professionals at the country's disposal, always up-to-date with periodic training and to be activated in certain cases. The support of reservists would therefore be mainly logistical and for cooperation, without excluding interventions also in the event of disasters, as is already the case for the military. The hypothesis could be to recruit ex-military, police (always on a voluntary basis) or personnel with certain specific and varied skills. They would not, however, be directly employed on the front line in operational theatres: a role that would instead fall to those who are experts. However, this would make up for the gap repeatedly complained about by the Armed Forces regarding the shortage of personnel, which today numbers 150,000.

In Germany, reservists are called up for training at least once a year and number around 15,000, while France has 77,000 (seven thousand have been called up for service) with a medium-term target of 85,000 to be raised to 100,000 by 2024 (French Minister Lecornu himself has stated that the goal is to have one reserve soldier for every two active soldiers).

Then there are the countries where conscription is compulsory: in Israel, where the rule applies to both men and women, there are around 400,000 reservists, while in Switzerland, where there is also the alternative of civilian service, there are 300,000. In 2017, Sweden instituted military conscription for both men and women after the Stockholm government had evoked a deterioration of the security environment in Europe. The Scandinavian country had abolished compulsory military service for men in 2010 because there were enough volunteers to meet its military needs. Since 2013, Norway has applied military conscription to both sexes.

Denmark has decided to extend conscription to women from 2026. Currently, women can volunteer for military service. Last year, 4,700 people did military service, of which approximately 25 per cent were women. This number will be increased to 5,000 per year. The Danish armed forces currently have approximately 20,000 active personnel, including approximately 9,000 professional troops.