The United States has had the luxury of an all-volunteer military for slightly longer than I’ve been alive. My name went on the Selective Service roster. They keep that list. They’re having recruitment and retention problems. And the United States has a much bigger population than the likes of Finland.
We had recruiting problems because we had unrealistic medical standards. For decades people just lied about what they could. Then we decided to use a system that could actually check the records of recruits.
Once waivers were made easily available, instead of months of admin work, recruiting goals were magically met again.
With Finland it’s seen as a social necessity because they’re neighbors with Russia.
Perhaps they will reconsider the ‘need’ for it with their new NATO membership. Will be hard to remove something so ingrained in their culture though.
I doubt it, but maybe. They’re still what amounts to a front line territory.
The United States has had the luxury of an all-volunteer military for slightly longer than I’ve been alive. My name went on the Selective Service roster. They keep that list. They’re having recruitment and retention problems. And the United States has a much bigger population than the likes of Finland.
We had recruiting problems because we had unrealistic medical standards. For decades people just lied about what they could. Then we decided to use a system that could actually check the records of recruits.
Once waivers were made easily available, instead of months of admin work, recruiting goals were magically met again.