Against a background of global geopolitical turmoil, the Dutch cabinet has indicated that mandatory military conscription cannot be ruled out.
State Secretary for Defence Derk Boswijk has indicated that while conscription is not a preferable option, he cannot make any guarantees, reports the NOS.
“I cannot rule it out,” he says.
The statement came during a parliamentary debate on the defence budget, where State Secretary for Defence Boswijk fielded pointed questions about the government’s recruitment plan.
Who is behind this?
The Ministry of Defence has been on a staffing spree with an aim to recruit a total of 122,000 over four years.
While on paper, the Netherlands still has a conscription requirement, mandatory report for duty has been off the table since 1997.
That is, until now: the cabinet has included a ‘selective reporting’ requirement in the coalition agreement, in the case that they cannot reach the target number through motivated individuals alone.
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While selective conscription is not the harshest form of recruitment, it’s a big step up.
This is much to the dismay of parties like GroenLinks-PvdA, SP, and Denk, who have expressed fears in parliament that young people who avoid any future drafts could face punishment.
What is selective conscription?
Selective conscription is a form of recruitment that calls upon a pre-approved part of the population for mandatory service.
A prime example is Sweden: there, all young men and women must undergo a survey at 17. Following that, a compulsory test is administered to a subset, of which the best candidates are selected and recruited.
As of yet, the Dutch system works differently. According to the government, anyone turning 17 receives a letter about registering for compulsory military service, but they are not “called up.”
That means, while they are conscripted, they are not required to report for duty. All that could change if the selective reporting initiative is adopted.
When the changes could take effect
State Secretary for Defence Boswijk has indicated that selective conscription will be discussed in the coming period. The goal, according to NOS, is to quell fears among the opposition and demonstrate the necessity of this move.
Mandatory conscription for all, however, is still on the table too.
READ MORE | The Dutch military is considering full-on conscription: Here’s what we know
While there are no plans to reinstate this measure anytime soon, Boswijk has said that it can be utilised immediately in an emergency.
For now, selective conscription will proceed in stages: if conscription numbers are inadequate, the procedure will shift from voluntary surveys to mandatory ones. If this also fails to yield enough recruits, more mandatory measures will follow.
In any case, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
What do you think about the new measures? Let us know in the comments.
