Czechia joins Europe's defense pivot proposing 'administrative' conscription

The Czech Army plans to propose a system of administrative conscription to the government to address a shrinking pool of military reserves, Army Chief of the General Staff Karel Řehka said in an interview with Czech Radio on Dec. 10. The development comes after Germany just last week announced plans to introduce voluntary military service from 2026.

Under the proposal, Czech citizens aged over 18 would be invited to fill out an online questionnaire indicating their willingness to serve in the event of a crisis, providing basic personal data and declaring voluntary interest in national defense. The plan would not involve compulsory military service in the traditional sense: rather, it would create a registry of citizens willing to participate in defense efforts if required.

Řehka says the initiative is part of a new mobilization concept being prepared by the army that aims to modernize how reserves are generated and managed. 

Under current Czech law, military conscription can only be enacted during a state of national emergency or after war is declared, a threshold Řehka is currently dissatisfied with. “Our primary goal is to avoid war. But when war starts, we cannot start taking all the measures during a crisis,” the chief said.

The army head says that the questionnaire is expected to help the army identify those who are physically able to joining defense activities. Those who register and are medically fit could be expected to undergo shorter-form training lasting a few weeks, according to the army chief.

Czechia abolished universal conscription in 2004, and reliance on active reserves and professional personnel has left the military with a limited pool of available trained personnel.

Figures cited by media note roughly 24,000 professional soldiers and 4,500 active reservists as of early 2025, numbers officials say may not be sufficient for rapid expansion in a crisis, Czech Radio reports.

President Petr Pavel voiced support for the idea. “Resuming the administrative act of registering citizens for possible participation in state defense…will allow the state to have an overview of what expertise, how many young people, and which age groups could be counted on if a crisis situation arose,” Pavel told Czech Radio. 

Under Germany’s plan, all 18-year-olds in the country will be sent a mandatory questionnaire from January 2026 asking if they are interested and willing to join the armed forces.

Following Russia’s widescale invasion of Ukraine, some EU nations have begun reconsidering compulsory military service. Currently, nine maintain mandatory service: Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, and Sweden. Starting next year, Croatia will reintroduce several months of compulsory service, which it had ended in 2008.

Last month, France announced 10 months of voluntary military training for 18- and 19-year-olds. The government says service will remain voluntary, but from July 2027 all 18-year-old men must undergo a medical exam to assess fitness for potential military duty.