Sweden aims to reactivate civil conscription to boost defense

YEREVAN, JANUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. Sweden’s government is taking steps to reactivate civil conscription in the latest move to shore up its defense capabilities in the wake of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.

The Nordic country, which in May sought entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization together with neighboring Finland, is also ramping up the number of people who are called to serve in the armed forces after a 2017 decision to resurrect military conscription. Sweden has pledged to increase military spending to 2% of its gross domestic product, and it aims to almost double the number of conscripts to 10,000 by the next decade.