Overview
- The Defense Ministry says the one-year program begins in September 2026 with an initial cohort of 500 recruits aged 18 to 25 paid €2,000 net per month.
- Places are scheduled to rise to 1,000 in 2027 with a progressive build-out toward a maximum of 7,000 positions.
- Recruits are slated for surveillance duties across naval, air, and land forces, according to the government plan.
- Youth associations and trade-union youth wings have formed the Servicio por la Paz platform to oppose the scheme, citing risks of exploiting precarious young people.
- Authorities plan information sessions in every province, reviving a public service option three decades after mandatory conscription ended and echoing shifts elsewhere in Europe, including Germany's stated lottery-based recruitment from 2026.