Zero Draft in the Low Countries: The Final Shift to the Mil-volunteer Force

Abstract

Belgium and the Netherlands were the first two countries in continental Europe to abolish conscription after the Cold War. Notwithstanding differences in organizational practices, as well as in civil-military culture, decisionmaking in both countries was driven by the same motives and followed a similar pattern. The twofold logic of much smaller armed forces and new missions made the choice for an all-volunteer force almost inevitable. The ideology legitimizing the draft for so long appeared to have lost much of its magic and most of its political supporters from left and right. While there is a general awareness that recruitment will be vital for the success of an all-volunteer force, the profile of the new soldiers, in terms of motivation and representativeness, has crystallized in neither country. This can be looked upon as a crucial civil-military challenge. Probably more countries than the two under review will face this challenge in the near future. Given the structural forces at work all over Europe, the case for conscription and its citizenship surplus value will be more and more marginalized. The zero draft will become the rule rather than the exception, finalizing the long-term decline of the mass army.

Legitimizing Military Growth and Conscription: The Yom Kippur Mechanism

“…The most immediate and pervasive explanation is the sense of existential threat. Scholars of civil–military relations claim that a critical factor in the process of canceling or reducing the draft is a perceived weakening of the existential threat in the absence of an active conflict on the country’s borders, facilitated through membership in an international defense treaty (Haltiner, 1998; Van der Meulen & Manigart, 1998). The United States fought the Korean and Vietnam Wars far from its borders, so when it decided to cancel the draft in 1973, there was no feeling of immediate danger.…”

“…Criticism of inequity is usually viewed as leading to lower motivation to enlist (Van der Meulen & Manigart, 1998). For example, in the Vietnam War, the attempts to obtain releases from service for study purposes in most cases aroused no sense of discomfort in relation to conscripts and sometimes were even supported by a moral stance that viewed the war as problematic (Chambers, 1975).…”

Dutch Courage: The Politics of Acceptable Risks

“…In a short time, a consensus grew that these kinds of missions were for professionals only, and this consideration became one of the main reasons for switching to a zero draft. 22 In fact, the end of conscription can be looked upon as one of the constituting elements of the politics of acceptable risks. Conscripts were not supposed to come under fire or be placed in danger while on missions that were unrelated, or only indirectly related, to national security.…”

“…help engage al Qaeda in the mountains of Tora Bora made Dutch abstinence even more painful. 40. www.gallup-international.com (January[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] 2003; April 16 to May 8, 2003) www.people-press.org (March 10-14, 2003; April 28 to May 15, 2003). 41.…”

El fin de la conscripción en Europa

“…En el caso de Dinamarca, las autoridades se decidieron por un sistema de reclutamiento selectivo para mitigar la crisis y, lo que no es demasiado conocido, los dirigentes de algunos países europeos, Francia, Bélgica y Holanda entre ellos, encargaron estudios técnicos para valorar la posibilidad de poner fin al servicio militar obligatorio. No llegaron a hacerlo, pero para garantizar su continuidad se vieron obligados a implementar enérgicas medidas contra aquella explosión de protesta, así como mecanismos penalizadores de la objeción de conciencia a más largo plazo (Kelleher, 1978;Martin, 1977;Mellors y McKean, 1984;Meulen y Manigart, 1997).…”