Several European Nato members maintain conscription or are boosting military recruitment with volunteer schemes. Nine Nato states still conscript citizens: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, and Turkey. Turkey, with the second-largest Nato military, requires men aged 20-41 to serve 6-12 months. Norway conscripts men and women for about 12 months. Croatia plans to restart conscription next year for men 19-29 with two months of training. Countries like the UK, France, Germany, and others maintain professional armies without mandatory service. Unique among these, the UK recruits minors aged 16 with parental consent. Iceland has no regular military but has a Coast Guard. Several countries are boosting volunteer service. Belgium sent letters to 17-year-olds to volunteer for up to €2,000 monthly. The Netherlands launched voluntary service in 2023. Poland introduced one-month voluntary training and plans large-scale military training, aiming for half a million soldiers including reservists. Bulgaria and Romania also offer voluntary service programs. Germany ended conscription in 2011 but will now require 18-year-old men to fill questionnaires and take medical exams on a voluntary basis. Chancellor Friedrich Merz aims for "the strongest conventional army in Europe," planning to increase active forces to 260,000 by 2035 plus 200,000 reservists. Some German youth protested this move. France stopped conscription 25 years ago but now offers a 10-month paid national service for 18-19 year-olds, starting with 3,000 volunteers next year and rising to 50,000 by 2035. President Macron said, "The only way to avoid danger is to prepare for it." Other European states have mixed systems: Austria and Cyprus have compulsory military service for men; Switzerland requires men 18-30 to serve or do alternative service; Ireland and Malta have professional militaries only. Switzerland recently rejected extending service to women. These moves come as Nato nations strengthen armies in response to the war in Ukraine and concerns about Russian aggression.