It takes years for big military equipment to be delivered. Getting military barracks up to date also takes years (especially in our current slow system). So do structure of commands etc. There are plenty warnings of secret services that attacks on European NATO countries are a possibility already in the coming years (2029 the most commonly mentioned date). We are already seeing plenty attacks that are arguably are already beyond hybrid warfare and just recently have been warned of potential drone attacks on southern European states. Considering it takes at least a few years to get our military into a state where it can operate comfortably against such threats I would argue that there is not ample time, because such attacks are already on the horizon. I do agree that the most efficient way to stop russia with the least possibility of escalation is to support Ukraine at all cost and give them everything they need. That is the way to stop Russia without direct confrontation.

That is the difference between an wartime economy of generally cheaper labor (east Europe) oriented primarily to provide resources for war, greatly (although not sufficiently in my opinion) supported and backed by the European Union and a slow bureaucratic economy known to be inefficient, time wise and monetary wise, economy. We hope that the European Union keeps together. And we certainly dont want to be forced to fight a war the way like Ukraine has to. No question Europe (if it stays united and doesn’t slowly bleed states to Russia’s control) would win a conventional conflict but the questions are at what cost? I rather win such a war in weeks than months, rather in months than years, and preferably with less missiles landing in my neighborhood.

Honestly, nowadays I think that conscription should be seen more like an education on how to defend yourself within the organized structures of the state, and maybe should also be implemented more in those lines. And such is necessary nowadays. I didn’t have to go and since I had my plans made I also didn’t but I have been considering to maybe look whether I can still at least learn a lite version of it. How many conscripted were forced to fight in the last decades? The first to go, and the only ones since probably the second world war (in germany), is the professional army, no conscripted is forced. Of course once we are in a true conflict to the point that the professional army isn’t sufficient anymore this starts to change, but then it would change for you regardless of whether you have trained the basics or not, and then I would prefer knowing what I do and how to do it, whether I have to or want to defend the society, friends, family etc. in an organized structure or not.