In the aftermath of Sweden’s NATO membership, the Swedish youth grapple with the possibility of conscription—a mandatory enlistment in military service.
In 2017, Sweden lifted the seven-year suspension on conscriptions. Early this year, the Swedish government warned citizens to prepare for the possibility of war. In March of this year, Sweden joined NATO.
Upon the reintroduction of selective conscription, all 18-year-olds were required to fill out an application form which asked about how potential candidates felt about military service (SVT Nyheter). This procedure in assessing potential candidates allowed applicants to opt out of service simply by stating that they do not want to serve in the military, regardless of their physical and mental fitness. Those who expressed an interest were the ones cleared to the second round of assessments.
It has been seven years since then, in which time an election has taken place— with a new right-wing government in power.
The government has since expressed the expansion from approximately 5,000 to 8,000 in 2025 with further ideas of growing the number of drafts to 10,000 by 2035 (SVT Nyheter). With these plans, “The Swedish Defence Conscription and Assessment Agency” has begun conscripting people who do not express an interest in military support. This disinterest, fuelled by fear of going to war is seen to increase in the aftermath of the NATO membership (SVT Nyheter). This begs the question “How much of the process is truly selective?”. Another factor that instils a certain fear is the possibility of being sentenced to jail if a conscript does not carry out their duty.
The reality of being drafted to on the frontlines of a war, even with military training, is a horrifying one, and one that much of the Swedish youth face. It is this very fear that has been expressed time and time again, both through various media channels and in everyday life. “[It] feels scary and intimidating”, says Juliana Santos, a young woman about to turn 18 later this year, “even though it’s obvious that us as teenagers shouldn’t be in the front line, and we’d receive proper training. Sweden’s association with NATO makes the experience of having the possibility of being drafted frightening and more ‘real’.”
Although this is a very real concern amongst the youth, the military has made it clear that there is the risk of Sweden facing a military attack is low. Kerstin Bergea, the president of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration society told Aljazeera “Many young people and parents are calling us, worried that their kids will be sent to do conscription. ‘Will our kids have to fight for NATO? Are we in war?’ That’s the kind of questions they have.”. Is increasing military strength the most pressing matter? There are wars both within and outside the continent, the country has ranked second in Europe for rates of gun-related violence (The Guardian), and the debt level has nearly doubled in the past decade. It is perhaps, more prudent for the country to focus on resolving the issues at hand before they turn their heads to military and defence.
Meanwhile, fellow NATO members from all around the world, including Germany and the UK have expressed concerns over the shrinking sizes of their military, both looking toward the selective conscription system in Sweden as a model (Foreign Policy). Currently, it is only the Swedish youth looking forward to the glum possibility of being conscripted to a “model” military service, and one can only hope that the freedom of choice, especially one that might be a question of life and death, prevails in the other countries.
Written by Harinishree Babu
