The Dutch Ministry of Defense is exploring reintroducing military conscription for the first time in 27 years.
The ministry believes that the Netherlands should prepare for a major military conflict within the next five to ten years, reveals a ministerial document obtained by RTL Nieuws.
Yes, it might sound extreme, but let’s see exactly what this would entail. 👇
What is conscription?
Conscription means compulsory military service. Technically, all eligible Dutch men and women receive a letter at the age of 17 advising they have been conscripted and are registered. However, there has been no compulsory attendance in the Netherlands for 27 years.
Is there cause for concern?
Yes and no: if compulsory military service is reintroduced, Dutch citizens of conscription age could be called to report for service.
Hold your helmets, though! This doesn’t mean that they would be catapulted from the classroom or office to the front in a matter of months.
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If the Prime Minister, Parliament, and Senate all greenlight the idea, conscription with compulsory attendance could be reintroduced on paper in a matter of weeks — its formal execution, however, would take much longer.
The Dutch military currently welcomes about 1,000 voluntary recruits per year. As such, it is absolutely not logistically prepared to house and train the 200,000-odd conscripts that would, in theory, be called up every year.
As a result, building up the human and material resources necessary to reintroduce conscription would require a massive effort: that alone could take years from the moment the decision is made.
There would be exemptions
Even if someone were conscripted, they might still be exempted, most likely for medical reasons.
Throughout the years, physical requirements to join the army became stricter, so many conscripts would not even be cleared to start training.
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Those who are, in turn, might have other reasons for exemption, such as for being the sole breadwinners in their household or for being “conscientious objectors” (people with strong reasons to refuse conscription on ethical grounds).
Regular soldiers would be prioritised
Finally, even in conflict, the Netherlands would likely first resort to the 42,000 professional soldiers it already has for active combat.
As such, fresh conscripts would probably remain far away from the front — at least initially. 👀
Do you think the Netherlands should reintroduce compulsory attendance conscription? Shoot a comment (and only a comment 😬) below to let us know.
Netherlands has always been a neutral coinyry
In the interest of the “who, what, when, where and why” of journalism, it would be nice if this article included the reasoning behind this decision.
No