- ENG.UATV.UA - A La Une - 09/Jul 12:41

NATO Secretary General: Individual Countries Will Decide on Military Conscription

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that the decision to introduce military conscription in Europe will be made by individual countries. He said this in an interview with The New York Times. When asked whether he believes Europe will have to introduce conscription, the NATO Secretary General replied in the negative. "No, no, that decision remains up to each individual country. Some countries will do it. Finland already has conscription. Others will not, but that will mean that overall we’ll have to pay good salaries to our men and women in uniform," he said. Rutte emphasized that he is particularly concerned about defense production, which he considers “an issue for the entire Alliance.” "We simply lack the defense industrial base to produce the weapons needed to deter Russia, North Korea, or anyone else who might attack us. And we are now working very quickly on that," he concluded. In June, Lithuania's Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said that if Lithuania wants to have more service members in the next decade, the country will have to increase the role of women in national defense. As of July 1, new legislation came into force in Denmark mandating conscription for women on equal terms with men. Recently, media reported that Germany is planning to introduce a voluntary six-month military service. The country hopes this program will help double the number of trained reservists. Read also: Macron Wants EU–US Trade Deal “as Soon as Possible” Ahead of Trump’s Tariff Deadline — AFP The post NATO Secretary General: Individual Countries Will Decide on Military Conscription appeared first on Freedom.