Sweden, as a nation, has not been involved in armed conflict for nearly 200 years.  The country has lived by a policy of neutrality in all major conflicts, including WWI and WWII.  The nation does send peace keeping troops abroad, and does participate in UN actions, but on the whole is considered to be a neutral country.

Despite this neutrality, Försvarsmakten, the Swedish Armed Forces, has continued a policy of conscription.  Essentially, any able bodied male 19 and older is eligible to be conscripted to the armed forces.  This is known colloquially in Sweden as “lumpen.”  For now.  Because as of July 1^st, 2010, the Swedish military will no longer be based on conscription, but instead become a completely professional force.

When I moved back to Sweden I was 23 years old.  I had not considered the possibility of being conscripted.  At all.  Luckily, within a month or so, the Swedish government had made their position very clear. I received, a letter from Försvarsmakten informing me that I would not be conscripted.  I was surprisingly ok with that.  As if to hammer their decision home, just a few weeks later, I received a second letter.  Identical to the first.  It seems they had not changed their mind, and at the ripe old age of 23, my services were deemed unnecessary.

Thirty years ago, nearly all eligible men served their mandatory military service.  When I moved to Sweden, a movement was underway to change that.  As a general rule, Försvarsmakten tried to admit men who were interested in serving their country.  But there were exceptions.  And it was those exceptions that made headlines.  Men and women (who could volunteer but not be conscripted) who wanted to serve in the military were being denied, while some who refused conscription were being jailed.  It was a system that wasn’t working.  With the move away from conscription to a professional standing military, Sweden has made sweeping reform to a system that has been in place for years.

My being denied was a sign of the times though.  The Swedish Armed Forces have undergone many changes in recent years.  Budget cuts, changes in strategy, and of course, the move from conscription to a professional fighting force.  Some argue that these changes have left the military weakened and unable to protect the country. Others argue that, after nearly 200 years without conflict, a standing army based on conscription could best be described as archaic.

Regardless of which side of the argument you stand on, the Swedish Armed Forces will change drastically in just a few weeks time.