Everyone who lives in Sweden has certain obligations and duties. Since the military duty was reintroduced in 2017, more and more young people can be forced to do it against their will. The goal is for about 8,000 young people to be trained each year between 2022 and 2025, and within a few years the number of conscripts will rise to 12,000.
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What does military service mean?
The military duty is one of the duties included in the total defense duty, and means that you as a military must defend Sweden and contribute to the country’s security. Nearly a quarter of Sweden’s youth do not want to do the military duty, according to Swedish Freds.
This year, about 30,000 Swedes born in 2007 will be called for pattern. If you are called, according to the Total Defense obligation Act, you are obliged to carry out the pattern. The pattern is made at the duty and testing plant and consists of various tests, surveys, interviews and assessments. If you are called for pattern but do not show up, you can be punished with a fine or imprisonment.
– It is clear that it may be that there are more who initially do not want to do this that will have to do it. But we must remember that the total defense is a matter for the entire population and it is a duty to contribute if you are called, says Christina MalmDirector General of the Purchasing and Procedure Agency, in an interview in SVT.
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Then you can be forced into conscription
Of the 30,000 who will design this year, about 8,500 people are estimated to be called to military service. The training is between nine and fifteen months and is carried out on one of the Swedish Armed Forces’ associations around Sweden.
In recent years, the Armed Forces have lowered the requirements to enable more people to do military service. This means that more people will cope with the pattern.
To be called for pattern, it is necessary, among other things, that you are a Swedish citizen, have reached the age of 18 and do not suffer from certain medical or mental conditions. If you pass the pattern, you can then be called to do military service, even if you do not want to. Below is a list of when you may be forced to do the military duty:
If you refuse military service, you can be sentenced to prison up to one year. In some cases, one can be relocated to civil service within the total defense, such as work with socially important activities.
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