We said it a few weeks ago. While half of Europe is discussing whether to save the militia (compulsory military service), the Spanish army has other ideas: 80,000 reservists. Even so, a series of official data on the army’s history in Spain is coming. Interestingly, thousands of young people died in a period when there was no open conflict.

Numbers. A screenshot on Twitter gives a clue. It is a text by psychiatrist Guillermo Rendueles called “Teachings of the army” (2000). According to the official figures of the researcher, 1,148 young Spaniards died in the army between 1983 and 1989. There were also about 13,000 injuries and 179 suicides.

When we look at the newspaper records of that period, the data is not bad. For example, this article in the newspaper El País in 1985 reported that 848 young Spaniards died while completing their compulsory military service from January 1, 1980 to April 1, 1985. All the data leads us to a second question: Why did the young people die if they were not at war?

Military life. Military service was compulsory for Spanish citizens of legal age (with some exceptions) until it was abolished in 2001. The length of service varied but was generally between 12 and 18 months, and the destinations varied depending on the service (Army, Navy or Air Force).

The military involved the integration of young men, many of whom had no previous experience in military settings, into an environment of strict discipline and at times extreme physical and psychological conditions. This accounts, at least in large part, for the deaths that occurred during military service.

Deadly news. El País reported that at the height of the military, most of the deaths were considered “accidents”, stressing that these were nothing more than young people with no experience “in the best moment of their lives”. Not only that. Relatives of those killed often received the fatal news weeks later, with a vague explanation of how it happened. Sometimes cases were even closed.

I’m dying because I’m late. In 1985, 40 percent of soldier deaths occurred in traffic accidents. The media reported, “The fact that soldiers’ leave is rushed until the last minute often causes them to go to their barracks in the early hours of the morning and without sleep, under dangerous physical conditions.”

Dying during maneuvers. This was probably another major cause of death. Most young men in the army died from fatal accidents resulting from the misuse of weapons or explosives during military maneuvers (500 deaths between 1980 and 1985).

To die from poisoning. Another cause of death was the misuse of highly toxic products, deaths caused by inhalation of toxic fumes contained in candles or smoke canisters used to conceal the movements of one’s own forces from areas where an observer could see the . . . hypothetical enemy.

In this context, El País reported an incomprehensible trend. It seemed that some commanders were using these devices in closed areas. The reason? The argument was that soldiers had to get used to resisting in this hostile environment. That’s how two soldiers deployed to the Canary Islands died.

To die by shooting without knowing how to do it. The number of cases of soldiers killed by “random shooting” was also high. These deaths resulted from the faulty, recorded or improper use of rifles and individual weapons.

Suicides. The recent death toll in the military was a result of this and ultimately a major cause. The stress and living conditions of many soldiers resulted in tragedy. Between 1980 and 1985, 205 soldiers committed suicide while on duty and 250 attempted suicides were recorded during the same period.

Return to the military? All this data is probably kept in mind by the Spanish government before any discussion on the implementation of compulsory military service. In Spain, the Minister of Defense has completely refused to return to the army, but this does not prevent this issue from being circulated in the army. At least on a theoretical level. And in these areas, there is a formula that is followed with interest: the Scandinavian model.

In this case, conscription, but with flexible options. The model combines universal conscription with the possibility of alternative civilian service for those opposed to military service, and promotes gender equality by allowing or requiring women to participate. In addition, it emphasizes widespread military readiness as a national defense measure, focusing on civilian education, territorial defense, and citizen participation, maintaining a professional army and active reserves.

It works for Scandinavians enough to attract young people with its slogan, no matter what. If we recall the recent past, it is not obvious that the same model can now have even a minimal impact among the Spanish population, let alone the young population.

Image | Rafael Jiménez, Yearbook

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