European countries ask women to join the army – level 2

31-03-2025 15:00

Denmark is making military service mandatory for women two years earlier than planned.

Women who turn 18 after July 1st, 2024, may join the army from 2026. Men and women must now take part in a lottery, and if there aren’t enough volunteers, the lottery will decide who will join the army. Denmark also extended military service from four to eleven months. The country is increasing military money by 6.8 billion euros.

Few European countries have mandatory service for women, but Sweden and Norway do. Other countries like Latvia are thinking about it. Many European nations stopped mandatory military service after the Cold War, but with the war in Ukraine, some are thinking about it again. In Germany, changing the law for women’s service would be very difficult.

Difficult words: mandatory (when a law says that you must do something), volunteer (a person who freely offers to do something), extend (to make longer or larger).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.

Who is eligible to join the army from 2026, and what measures will be used if there aren’t enough volunteers? Additionally, what changes have been made to service duration and military spending, and which European countries already require service from women or are considering it?

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