Lillemäe has for several years been working at the Estonian Military Academy, where she coordinated surveys of conscripts to the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF).

"It seemed highly intriguing to me that young people see conscription very differently: For half it is a useless waste of time, while the other half consider it in some way or another useful. Where does this derive from?" she considered, and from this inner discussion arose the idea to study this topic in more depth, in her doctoral research.

Following the Cold War, many Western countries thought that since peace had now arrived, there was no longer any need to deal with national defense in that way, so they abolished conscription.

Before the full-scale war which began in Ukraine in 2022, conscription was still present in just 10 European countries, mainly in the Nordic and Eastern European region.

One of those countries was Estonia. Finland, Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, Denmark, Greece, Ukraine, as well as Austria and Switzerland, also retained conscription.

The latter two countries may in some sense be surprising. In these cases, according to Lillemäe, the historical background of both countries plays a role, whereby conscription is closely linked with a sense of civic responsibility and awareness.

Estonia's neighbor to the south, Latvia, only restored compulsory conscription in 2023.

That most European countries abolished conscription demonstrates, according to Lillemäe, how the return of war to European soil was not considered viable. "The 1990s were a time of drowsiness," she said.

"Estonia of course always kept a certain sense of danger and an awareness that things might not be quite so rosy, meaning conscription was not abolished here, although that possibility was discussed in the first half of the 2000s. The conclusion was that conscription was not cost-effective, meaning it would be better to maintain a professional army," she went on. That debate, however, subsided relatively quickly.

While Europe had seemed to be napping in the meantime, there is now considerable talk of compulsory conscription in Europe once again. In this way, Lillemäe's doctoral work came at the right time. In her dissertation, she primarily investigated how the EDF as an organization has changed over time, what young people expect from conscription, and how their experience is shaped.

Contemporary conscription

In general, those Western countries in which conscription persisted — including Estonia — have moved away from the Cold War–era model. "Conscription must in a sense respond to society's expectations. It does not have to be something the case that a young person goes there and cannot come out for a year, while their whole life halts for that time," Lillemäe stated.

In the Nordic countries modern conscription models are mostly used, designed so that conscription can be appealing to youth. "In peacetime, perhaps defense motives lull into sleep, but on the other hand today's youth perhaps are no longer moved by patriotic motives either. These certainly exist, and young people recognize that there is a war in Ukraine, but greater individual benefit is expected from conscription," she said.

Above all, Estonian young men hope to improve their physical fitness, something which can last for a lifetime. Conscripts also wish to make new friends.

"The EDF tries to meet the expectations of youth, because although conscription is compulsory, we all know that if someone really wants, they can avoid it," Lillemäe noted. Upon completion of conscription, young people are presented with a certificate outlining what skills that conscript has acquired during their service. The certificate also supports the transfer of skills from military to civilian life.

In addition, there are various internship opportunities within the EDF. For example, would-be auto mechanics can do their mandatory internship with the EDF rather than in the civilian world. Similarly, IT companies collaborate with the EDF on internships.

"A young person working at an IT company can go into cyber conscription and can further develop skills there which had been acquired with the employer. For the EDF, that is a plus, because they get someone who has skills. At the same time, the young person hones their skills during their conscription, which is again a plus for the company if the employee has acquired new skills and perspectives — it's a win–win," Lillemäe described.

How much should approaches be individualized?

Although such practicality seems entirely positive, in the changed security situation, Lillemäe says, the question arises whether the EDF can continue to offer such an individual-centered approach.

At the start of the Ukraine war, Lillemäe was conducting an ethnographic study in which 14 young Estonian men kept diaries regularly, and were interviewed by her. In this way she gained a rather good insight into how young people's attitude toward war had changed.

"There were young men who said that they wanted to go to help in Ukraine immediately, because this is also our defense and they realize for the first time what conscription is there for. There were also those who described how reality hit home: Maybe at some point they really would have to go to war and leave their life there. So, on the other hand, a moment of fear and a feeling arose that perhaps they do not want to contribute," she continued.

While at the start of the war young people did indeed start to think more about what conscription was created for, they also stated outright that it is more important for the individual than for the state, since in their view the duration and nature of conscript service do not allow a person to become a soldier or to survive on the battlefield anyway.

The EDF is therefore in a difficult situation, according to Lillemäe. While peacetime allowed an individual-centred approach, perhaps now it is necessary to return to the EDF's core reason for being, at least in conscription: To give a person the skills needed to defend the state. Lillemäe noted that finding the balance is indeed hard.

A side issue is also that young people undergoing conscription feel as though their life is put on pause, for a year. On this, Lillemäe said, it is good to look at the statistics. About half of the young men of a corresponding age go into conscription. The rest remain exempt, mainly for health reasons. A fraction of women, too, undergo conscription. While every year 4,000 conscripts go through service, one percent — or 40 conscripts — are women.

"If we consider that currently conscripts are young men born 2005–2007, when about 15,000 children were born per year, it means that 11,000 contemporaries continue along their life path at the same time: going to university, to work. Inevitably, conscripts feel that they cannot do that. Here the mood with which the conscript enters service plays a role," said Lillemäe.

Over time, conscripts' contact with the outside world has naturally risen, as the EDF find that it makes no sense to keep people in isolation for too long. These practices differ slightly from unit to unit, but in general after basic training it is possible to get leave from the unit every evening, and also at weekends. "An approach has been taken that conscription is like going to work. A young person can still maintain contact with the outside world and not feel that they are somehow getting left behind in life," Lillemäe said.

However, this may bring a certain downside. "The more contact there is with the outside world, the more the feeling may arise that the young person cannot keep up with the times. You may get to meet friends, but in the end you are still not really in the same information space. With conscription, you cannot keep up with all the latest movies or computer games, so it may be hard to find common themes with friends. This may even create a bigger gap and so one ends up being left behind one's peers," Lillemäe described.

The other aspect concerns socio-economic coping. Those who can leave the unit in the evening are more likely those whose home is closer. For those who come from further afield, this is more difficult. Going to town in the evening may also entail spending money which they may not have.

"Such issues may arise. If you cannot get out every day, everyone is relatively equal. Being able to go on leave from the EDF is not necessarily a bad thing, but it brings fresh challenges and problems that need to be addressed."

In order for conscription to be seen as a key place for youth — one that they do not want to avoid en masse — the EDF, Lillemäe says, must offer a range of opportunities, be it for self-development or going on leave. She explained conscription as something being in reciprocal relationship with society — as a system it is in constant change.

"If a change occurs in society, conscription and the EDF cannot remain a stagnant organization, because then they lose public trust. Generally, military organizations change very slowly. That conscription offers opportunities for self-development or weekend home visits are very big changes," she stated.

On the other hand, it must not become too soft either. "One main criticism was that conscription is a militarized sports camp. There is no longer seen a challenge, but it must still offer a bit of a challenge, otherwise it makes no sense, but at the same time without breaking those youth.

Expectations v. reality

Conscripts' expectations tend to change quite a bit during the period of conscription. "Well, they change their expectations according to what reality offers," Lillemäe noted.

She recalled one story where a young man said that before conscription he had very much wanted to become a junior non‑commissioned officer and a military leader. It transpired that he was assigned to be a driver instead. While initially disappointed, by the end of his service, he found it quite fun, Lillemäe said. "He got to drive off‑road a lot which was very adventurous. In the end he was happy that he did not have to bear the responsibility of command."

On the one hand, this also shows how young people can expect all sorts of things. On the other, that again can be a problem. "The EDF and conscription are seen as very uniform things: I go into conscription and become a soldier. In reality there are many varieties," she said.

For example, there are more and more male nurses in the military. Conscripts can get paramedic training, which draws them, and often they continue their studies in this direction — for instance in healthcare higher education. "This is a clear example of how conscription shapes subsequent careers," Lillemäe said.

EDF Reform

EDF commander Maj. Gen. Andrus Merilo, said in spring that after conscription reforms due in 2027, the length of a call‑up period will change to 12 months, from the eight‑ or 11‑month terms at present. Conscripts will be assigned combat watch duty. Meanwhile, there has been societal debate going on as to whether the EDF should select its conscripts more effectively.

One option could be to more often leave out the less motivated and those whose language skills are not at the level to train them effectively. Lillemäe gave the example of Sweden, where there is a strong degree of discernment on who is conscripted and who not.

"On the one hand I would go along with that, but on the other, the positive effect of conscription is that there is a cross‑section of society. Surely there are negative experiences and those who lower morale. On the other hand, it may be the first time for a young person to meet people with very different attitudes and views. This gives a certain tolerance for later life or at least for a young person to imagine how different people can be. This is also the creation of social cohesion," Lillemäe said.

Lillemäe added that surely there are those whose attitudes will not be changed, and those who do not improve their language skills during service, but merely endure those 11 months.

"Maybe it is not the Russian‑speaking youth we should focus our attention on, but rather those whom we can integrate and to whom we can give an overview of Estonian national defense. I think that the minimum of defense will is not that I am ready to contribute to national defense. The minimum of defense will is that I do not work against it. If we can achieve that with service, then that is already quite good," Lillemäe said.

Eleri Lillemäe is to defend her doctoral thesis in sociology "Pragmatic conscription: Perceptions and experiences of conscripts in Estonia" Xon August 22. The full thesis in English is here.

After completing conscription, former conscripts remain on the EDF's reservist list and can be called up to major military exercises.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and X and never miss an update!