Heated debate about the mandatory army in Romania? “You will see mass desertions and refusals in Romania”
The possibility of reintroducing conscription has sparked a heated debate on an online platform, bringing to the surface older frustrations about the state, money and competence. The discussion is purely hypothetical, given that the issue of returning to compulsory military service has not been officially raised.
Mandatory military service scares many young Romanians. PHOTO: MAPN
The discussion on the Reddit platform starts from a statement that sounds categorical: “Compulsory military service is only on pause at the moment, it can be introduced tomorrow without any legal problem.”
From here, the thread of the conversation quickly splits into two directions: an alarmist one, which sees reintroduction as inevitable, and a skeptical one, which considers it improbable or even impossible in Romania's current context.
The original author supports his point with a list of European countries that have reintroduced or expanded conscription:
“Croatia – Re-introduced this year, 2 months mandatory for men only.
Sweden – Re-introduced in 2017. All are recruited (men and women), but only the fittest are selected.
Latvia – Reintroduced in 2024, with a duration of 11 months.
Lithuania – Reintroduced in 2015.
Denmark – From 2025, military service was extended to women and the duration increased from 4 months to 11 months.
Norway – Military service extended to women in 2015.
Germany – Said to reintroduce voluntary military service for 2 years; if they don't get enough people, they'll introduce the mandatory one.
France and Poland – 10-month voluntary military service was reintroduced.
Estonia, Greece, Austria, Finland, Switzerland, Cyprus and Turkey – There is already compulsory military service, not to mention countries like Ukraine and Russia”.
The author of the post claims, correctly, that voluntary military service was introduced in Romania. He speculates: “If the program is not going to be successful, we will move to conscription. I have a feeling that this program will not be successful; in order to succeed, the Romanian state would have to create good propaganda, and I don't think it is quite capable of doing such a thing.”
Indeed, some military analysts warn that if the voluntary program fails, the only solution would be to reintroduce mandatory military service.
If the Romanian Army fails to complete its operational reserve through volunteering, extreme measures can be taken: “at some point we will have to reintroduce compulsory military service“, said general (r) Virgil Bălăceanu for “Adevărul”. No army functions without a reserve, he said. Especially in the current conditions. However, Bălăceanu is confident that the volunteer program will be a success.
The author of the post asks, at the end, some questions:
“When it's reintroduced, would you like it to be for everyone? And for men and women? Would you like it to be like in Switzerland, where you can choose to do military service or service for the benefit of the state for a longer period?”
“What should we do? Shoot the Carpathian pistol? Sew the holes in our pants?”
The reply was not late: “are you sure From the list you presented, only 4 countries have introduced MANDATORY military service. The rest are all voluntary. It kind of sounds like smoke.” This intervention changes the tone of the discussion and introduces an essential element: the difference between perception and reality. Several participants point out that in many states, “mandatory” does not mean universal: “Only the fittest are chosen and then a draw is made.”
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From here, the conversation slides into a pragmatic analysis. A user scores: “The only countries where more than 20% of able-bodied men actually serve in the army are Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Ukraine, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus.” In other words, the model cited as an example is actually much more limited in practice.
But perhaps the strongest direction of the debate is neither geopolitical nor legal, but economic. “Romania is in a disastrous economic situation”someone writes. “To take thousands, tens of thousands of people out of the economy and keep them on the state's money for training is an absolutely idealistic idea.” This observation is repeated in different forms: costs, lack of infrastructure, waste. And the tone quickly becomes sarcastic: “What shall we do? Shoot the Carpathians? Sew the holes in our pants?”
“She's going to rub her with alms for a year”
Distrust of institutions constantly appears in the background of the discussion. “I'm already hearing the headlines: huge scandal at the Ministry of Defence. Millions of euros for uniforms ended up in real estate in Dubai.“It's more than a joke – it's the expression of a widespread perception of corruption and inefficiency. Another user recalls real exercises: “They barely had a few buses. Very few even made a pull.”
Personal experiences or stories passed down from generation to generation also play an important role. One comment summarizes this collective memory: “She will grind on alms for a year, she will eat dirty food, she will work in the fields or at someone's house.” At the same time, there is also a paradoxical note: “years from now they'll remember a romanticized version, because that's where friendships are made.”
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Another important thread of discussion is the actual military relevance. “1,000 young people flying thousands of drones make more than 1 million soldiers”someone says, suggesting that modern warfare no longer needs masses of poorly trained recruits. The idea is also indirectly supported by others, who criticize the classic army model: “half the cycle are perches, the other half become veterans and make fun of the perches.”
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There are also observations about inequality and avoiding the system. “There are rope + file methods to easily avoid military service.” Or, on an ironic note: “As far as population records go, I wish them luck finding me.” In public perception, any mandatory system would be applied selectively and unfairly.
Another sensitive point is the impact on personal life. “I'm curious how it works if you have a loan… what do you do with the installment?”
The discussion also touches on ideological themes. One commentator rejects the idea of a purely national decision: “We are in NATO, the strategy will come from the NATO command, not from alde Ciucă.” At the same time, someone else contradicts: “You will see mass desertions and refusals in Romania.”
Finally, perhaps the harshest conclusion comes from direct experience: “I served in the army and I can say that the one who agrees with mandatory military training is at least a moron.” It's a statement that sums up the general tone of the debate: rejection rather than excitement.
