Shifting to all-volunteer armed forces in Europe: Why, how, with what effects?

Countries with conscripted troops became a minority since the end of the Cold War. In this new reality it is essential to understand why the shift to all-volunteer forces happened, how occurred and the impacts caused in European societies. Large number of troops became pointless, the service was now seen as a burden and different types of military action implied a new system. Public debate has not taken place, mainly occurring among experts. In general the transition periods are shorter than the ones determined by law. There are several kinds of impacts in this change: structural changes (e.g. downsizing of the armed services and distinct alterations among the three services); recruitment, resettlement and retention; institutional impact (e.g. liberalization of leadership styles and the cultural change caused by the increased presence of servicewomen and minorities); and socio-political impact. AVF still need to respond to the sustainability issue and to the need of higher force levels.