Sweden has announced plans to reintroduce compulsory military service eight years after it was abolished.
Young Swedes born after 1999 have been put on notice that they will eligible for conscription from 2018 to meet shortfalls in voluntary recruitment.
The move is seen as linked to growing nervousness over the aggressive behaviour of Russia, which led earlier this month to the permanent garrisoning of the Baltic island of Gotland.
Peter Hultqvist, defence minister, announced that the government would seek cross-party approval on a new system to find 4,000 conscripts in 2018 in response to the findings of a commission on the country’s defence needs.
Sweden has not participated in armed conflict on its territory in two centuries. It allowed Nazi troops to cross the country