Europe returns to compulsory military service.. What is Trump's connection?

With the US presidential election approaching next November, the tense situation in Europe seems more complicated and turbulent if former President Donald Trump returns to the White House, who has already threatened not to defend NATO member states.

Europe returns to compulsory military service

From Britain to France, and even Germany, many allies are considering the idea of ​​returning to compulsory military service, while a third of NATO member states currently have some form of compulsory military service, while it is still undesirable in some countries.

Mobilizing 300,000 soldiers

In response to the growing threat from Moscow, NATO has reviewed its strategy and enhanced its capabilities over the past decade, but the comprehensive Russian attack on Ukraine in 2022 prompted the allies to reassess whether they are ready for war.

Although the alliance has confirmed its readiness to fight immediately, and has currently put its forces on high alert, there are calls to increase capabilities more and faster.

In statements to CNN, Sean Monaghan, a visiting fellow in the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in the United States, reveals that there are questions about whether the allies are prepared for a long-term war like the one in Ukraine, noting that there is still work to be done in terms of industrial capacity, defense spending, and the role of society, including the compulsory conscription file.

Monaghan confirms that NATO is facing difficulty in achieving its new goal of providing 300,000 personnel ready for combat operations within one month, in addition to half a million combat personnel available within six months.

Distrust of Trump

However, while NATO announced that it has already achieved this goal, relying mainly on American forces, the European Union said that its members will face difficulties in achieving this, in an apparent concern about the possibility of relying on the American military if Trump becomes president again.

European allies will have to find new ways to provide fighters, Monaghan said, noting that another problem is that this goal would only allow NATO to fight a relatively short conflict of no more than six months.

Conscription

Amid these risks and challenges, many European countries have reintroduced or expanded conscription as part of strategies to bolster defenses.

“We’ve come to the realization that we may have to modify the way we mobilize for war, the way we produce military equipment, recruit and train people,” Robert Hamilton, a former U.S. Army officer and head of Eurasia research at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, told CNN.

“It’s unfortunate that here we are in 2024, grappling with the question of how to mobilize millions of people to be thrown into the slaughter of a potential war, but that’s where Russia has put us.”

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