Norwegian conscription may be extended after the armed forces asked the government to review the current legal limits on who can be called up and for how long.Defence Minister (Forsvarsministeren) Tore O. Sandvik has confirmed that Chief of Defence (Forsvarssjefen) Eirik Kristoffersen is conducting a review, as Norway moves to increase the number of conscripts and expand its reserve forces under the long-term defence plan for 2025–2036.
Why Norway is looking for more soldiers
Norway already runs a selective model: only a share of each age cohort is called up for initial service (førstegangstjenesten), and most conscripts serve 12 or 15 months. According to the long-term defence plan approved by the Storting, the intake is expected to rise from roughly 15% of each cohort to 25% over the coming years.
The strongest pressure for change is in the Army (Hæren), where planners want to rely more on reservists and build units that can be mobilised quickly. The Home Guard (Heimevernet) is also set to grow, increasing demand for refresher training and available specialists.
What the current conscription law allows
In peacetime, Norway can require qualified citizens from the year they turn 19 until the year they turn 44 to perform military duty. The overall framework for conscription service is set at up to 19 months, combining initial service with later training and exercises.
Norwegian conscription is gender-neutral: the Armed Forces introduced universal conscription for both women and men in 2015. In practice, the system remains selective: only those assessed as suitable are called up, and the military decides how the training pipeline is staffed each year. After completing initial service, conscripts can be required to take part in exercises and refresher training within the legal ceiling.
Media reports note that former armed forces employees can be recalled up to the age of 55, and that Norway has around 140,000 people who have completed initial service and could be available as a pool of reservists.
What could change under an expanded conscription framework
The review being led by Kristoffersen focuses on whether Norway needs to adjust both age limits and service duration in order to train more people and keep key skills available for longer.
The Army chief (Hærsjefen) Lars Lervik has said the Army needs to look at both who can be used and how long they can serve, while stressing that no decision has been made. The head of the Armed Forces Special Operations Command (Forsvarets Spesialstyrker) has also argued for reviewing the legal framework, including the ceiling of 19 months, to make more active use of reservists and retain specialised competence.
If the government ultimately proposes changes, they could include extending the maximum time people can be ordered to serve, raising the age range, or setting clearer pathways for reservists with critical qualifications (for example drivers, medics, engineers, or people with cyber skills). Any proposal would still need parliamentary approval.
How the reserve shift fits Norway’s NATO and Nordic defence debate
Norway’s long-term defence plan places heavy emphasis on readiness and reinforcement, not only by buying new capabilities but by having trained people available when needed. For the Army, planners have described a move towards units with a larger share of reservists, and similar growth pressures are expected for the Home Guard (Heimevernet).
This discussion is also unfolding across the Nordic region. Sweden has reactivated conscription and Denmark is expanding conscription to include women and lengthening service. For Norway, which borders Russia in the High North and is a founding NATO member, the question is how to scale personnel and training without weakening the quality and attractiveness of military service.
What happens next
Kristoffersen’s review will inform whether the Ministry of Defence (Forsvarsdepartementet) drafts amendments to the Conscription Act (vernepliktsloven) and submits them to the Storting. A broader debate is likely to focus on training capacity, the impact on education and employers, and how to balance fairness with the armed forces’ operational needs.
For now, Norway is still at the assessment stage. But the fact that senior commanders are explicitly asking to widen the legal framework underlines how central personnel and reserves have become to Norway’s 2025–2036 defence build-up.
