Italy's defence minister proposes new voluntary military service with goal of creating a reserve of 10,000 personnel.Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto on Thursday raised the prospect of a new form of voluntary military service in Italy, citing the need to address potential external threats, including from Russia.Crosetto said he plans to present a draft bill to the cabinet, and then to parliament, to establish a voluntary state auxiliary military reserve of up to 10,000 personnel to be deployed to specific sectors in the face of war, disasters and crises. The defence ministry on Friday clarified that Crosetto was not proposing a return to mandatory conscription, known as leva, a system that Italy ended in January 2005. Under Crosetto's plans, the military reserve would not be constantly active and could be deployed to support the armed forces in "extremely serious cases" but never on the front lines, according to newspaper Corriere della Sera. The reservists would include retired military personnel and former security guards as well as highly skilled professionals who could provide logistic support, such as retired doctors, engineers or IT experts. Crosetto's announcement, made in Paris during a meeting with his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin, reopens a debate that recurs regularly in Italy, however this time it appears to be backed up by a concrete plan and follows significant recent moves by France and Germany. France has launched a new voluntary military national service, more than 25 years after conscription was phased out, in response to growing fears of a confrontation with Russia. The French programme, set to be introduced next summer, will see young men and women aged between 18 and 19 volunteering for a paid 10 months of military training. Germany has announced a new military service plan that will mandate all 18-year-old men to compile a questionnaire on their suitability to serve and, from 2027, to undergo medical screening. Photo credit: Massimo Todaro / Shutterstock.com.

Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto on Thursday raised the prospect of a new form of voluntary military service in Italy, citing the need to address potential external threats, including from Russia. Crosetto said he plans to present a draft bill to the cabinet, and then to parliament, to establish a voluntary state auxiliary military reserve of up to 10,000 personnel to be deployed to specific sectors in the face of war, disasters and crises. The defence ministry on Friday clarified that Crosetto was not proposing a return to mandatory conscription, known as leva, a system that Italy ended . Under Crosetto's plans, the military reserve would not be constantly active and could be deployed to support the armed forces in "extremely serious cases" but never on the front lines, according to newspaper Corriere della Sera. The reservists would include retired military personnel and former security guards as well as highly skilled professionals who could provide logistic support, such as retired doctors, engineers or IT experts. Crosetto's announcement, made in Paris during a meeting with his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin, reopens a debate that recurs regularly in Italy, however this time it appears to be backed up by a concrete plan and follows significant recent moves by France and Germany. France has launched a new voluntary military national service, more than 25 years after conscription was phased out, in response to growing fears of a confrontation with Russia. The French programme, set to be introduced next summer, will see young men and women aged between 18 and 19 volunteering for a paid 10 months of military training. Germany has announced a new military service plan that will mandate all 18-year-old men to compile a questionnaire on their suitability to serve and, from 2027, to undergo medical screening. Photo credit: Massimo Todaro / Shutterstock.com.