O serviço militar obrigatório como política pública de defesa no Brasil: desafios e oportunidades

Abstract

This Final Undergraduate Project analyzes Compulsory Military Service in Brazil as a public policy for national defense and civic formation. National security is recognized as a non-delegable responsibility of the State, and conscription is not limited to troop composition, but also plays a role in social integration and in strengthening the bond between State and society. The study adopts a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory approach, based on bibliographic and documentary research, complemented by a comparative analysis of international experiences in France, Israel, and Sweden. The research shows that, although constitutionally established as universal, the Brazilian model operates selectively, incorporating only a small fraction of those enlisted, which undermines its legitimacy and equity. Structural limitations, weak inter-ministerial coordination, and the historical exclusion of women—partially mitigated by the creation of the Female Initial Military Service in 2024—further restrict its potential as an instrument of social inclusion, professional mobility, and civic education. Internationally, France abolished conscription in 1997 but created, in 2019, the Service National Universel, a civic-military program aimed at youth integration. Israel maintains a robust model, deeply connected to national identity and integrated with technological qualification programs. Sweden, after suspending conscription in 2010, reintroduced it in 2017 under criteria of merit and gender equality, linked to the concept of Total Defense. These experiences demonstrate that modernizing conscription may reconcile universality, rational selectivity, social inclusion, and integration with youth-oriented public policies. The study concludes that Compulsory Military Service in Brazil remains relevant for national defense but must be redesigned as a transversal public policy that integrates defense, citizenship, and human development. It is proposed to adopt transparent and merit-based selection criteria, expand female inclusion, strengthen inter-ministerial coordination, certify skills acquired during service, and establish a complementary civic program. In this way, the Brazilian model may be reinvented as a legitimate and inclusive instrument of defense and civic formation, aligned with the demands of the 21st century.