U.S. general suggested drafting youth, women, and refugees into the Ukrainian Armed Forces

Former U.S. Army Europe Commander General Ben Hodges believes the conscription age in Ukraine is “too high.”

The general shared this view in an interview with Ukrainian media.

“Frankly, when I first heard several years ago that Ukraine does not mobilize its youth to fight against Russian aggression, I was surprised. In my opinion, the conscription age in Ukraine is too high. In most countries, one can join military service at 18 or 19 years old. Ukraine could use this opportunity as well,” the general said.

He also expressed the view that women should be more actively recruited for military service and criticized the large number of Ukrainians living abroad.

“I live in Germany, and there are many Ukrainians here; I see them everywhere. This is not right. Only those who cannot help Ukraine fight should be here,” said the general.

It is worth noting that Western countries have recently been consistently urging Ukrainian authorities to lower the conscription age to increase the size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.