Northern Europe Without Opposition to Female Conscription... Only a Minority Selected Among Conscription Candidates [News in War History]

Three Northern District Countries Successively Implement Positive Conscription
Only 10-15% of Actual Draft Targets Enlist
Population Always Insufficient... Strategy for Small Elite Forces

EPA Yonhap News

As concerns grow that Russia may invade another neighboring European country following its actions in Ukraine, bordering nations have declared a security emergency. In particular, Nordic countries, which have frequently clashed with Russia throughout history, are racing to introduce conscription for women and are accelerating efforts to strengthen their national defense.

Following Norway and Sweden, Denmark has also begun implementing female conscription, drawing the attention of many European countries. In fact, conscription for women is becoming a central topic in many countries suffering from low birth rates and aging populations. Discussions and controversy around its adoption are ongoing in South Korea as well.

However, a closer look at how female conscription is actually operated in Nordic countries reveals that the system is very different from that of South Korea, where nearly all young men are conscripted. This is because Nordic nations, which have historically had small populations, have always prioritized cultivating a small but elite military force as their basic strategy. In this article, we will take a closer look at female conscription in Nordic countries.

Denmark Joins Norway and Sweden in Implementing Female Conscription

AFP Yonhap News Agency

Let's start with recent news. On March 13 (local time), Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced a new national defense overhaul plan. The main elements of this plan include introducing female conscription and extending the period of military service. Norway introduced female conscription in 2015, followed by Sweden in 2017. Denmark’s announcement that it would also introduce female conscription has attracted international attention.

With Finland and then Sweden joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Baltic Sea region has emerged as a new flashpoint, and experts note that growing security concerns among Nordic countries are translating into the introduction of female conscription.

In fact, approximately 25% of Danish soldiers are already women, and women have been able to volunteer for military service for some time, so there has reportedly been little opposition from the general public or politicians.

Currently, Denmark has a standing force of around 20,000, including 7,000 to 9,000 career soldiers. With the new defense reinforcement plan, the country intends to significantly increase this number. By 2028, Denmark plans to establish an infantry brigade of up to 6,000 soldiers and to set up a new ground-based air defense network.

Actual Enlistment Rate is 10–15% of Eligible Population... Rigorous Selection Process

Reuters Yonhap News

The reason that female conscription has been introduced in the Nordic countries without major political friction—unlike the heated debate in South Korea—is said to lie in the unique military organizational culture of these countries. While adult men and women are all eligible for conscription, only a rigorously selected minority are actually trained as elite soldiers, and the conditions provided to service members are reportedly excellent.

According to AFP, Norway was the first country in Europe to implement female conscription. It revised its conscription law in 2014 to introduce a “gender-neutral conscription” system, which has been in effect since 2015. Under the new system, about 60,000 men and women become eligible for service each year at age 19, but only about 10–15%—some 6,000 to 8,000—are selected to actually serve.

As of 2022, Norway had a total force of about 17,000, with 9,800 conscripted personnel performing mandatory service, and of these, 34.5% were women. During the 19-month mandatory service period, 12 months are spent in active duty, and the remaining 7 months are spent in a structure similar to a reserve unit. Sweden’s female conscription system is run similarly, with some differences such as requiring 9 to 12 months of service. One survey even found that over 80% of the public approved of conscription for women.

Although these countries have strengthened their conscription laws in response to security threats from Russia, their overall security environments remain different from South Korea’s, which allows for a much lower conscription rate.

Nordic Countries, with Historically Small Populations, Continue Elite Force Strategy

The Battle of Poltava fought between Sweden and Russia in 1709. [Image source: Russian Museum]

However, when historical and security contexts are considered, the elite force strategy of the Nordic countries is not necessarily one that can be easily adopted by other nations, as it presents both clear advantages and disadvantages.

Historically, Nordic countries have always had very small populations, and the situation remains similar today. Sweden, which once dominated Northern Europe and battled Imperial Russia for Baltic Sea supremacy in the 18th century, had a total population of just over 2 million at the time—an enormous disparity compared to Russia’s nearly 20 million.

As a result, Sweden favored fielding a small number of highly trained elite units capable of delivering preemptive strikes against their enemies. The standing army, led by King Karl XII and known as the Caroleans, was renowned for its combat skill across the Nordic region. However, after suffering a decisive defeat to Russia at the Battle of Poltava in 1709, Sweden lost a significant portion of its military and saw its dominance wane. The elite force strategy, while capable of building formidable military strength, has the drawback of being highly vulnerable to a single defeat.

Since then, and especially after the 19th century (aside from World War II), Nordic countries, including Sweden, have generally refrained from engaging in external wars and have maintained a policy of neutrality. Rather than expanding the size of their standing armies, they have focused on strengthening a small number of professional soldiers, conscripts, and reservists. With this security environment as a backdrop, they are able to select outstanding talent regardless of gender for conscription. In conclusion, while there are institutional elements worthy of reference, the practical situation is vastly different from that of South Korea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.