Biden Administration Pressures Ukraine to Expand Military Through Increased Conscription

The Biden administration is urging Ukraine to swiftly expand its military by drafting more troops and amending mobilization laws to lower the conscription age to 18. This push comes amid mounting concerns about Ukraine's manpower shortage in its nearly three-year war with Russia.

A senior Biden administration official, speaking anonymously to discuss private consultations, stated Wednesday that the current minimum draft age of 25 needs to be reduced to increase the pool of fighting-age men. “The pure math” of Ukraine’s situation, the official said, highlights the urgent need for additional troops to counter Russia's numerical advantage.

Since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, the United States has provided over $56 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, with plans to deliver more aid before President Joe Biden’s term ends. However, U.S. officials now believe that Ukraine already has the necessary weaponry and must focus on dramatically increasing its troop levels to sustain the fight.

The Biden administration estimates that Ukraine requires an additional 160,000 troops, though officials suggest the actual number may need to be even higher. Currently, over 1 million Ukrainians are in uniform, including National Guard and other units.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also faced pressure from Western allies, who share the U.S. administration's concerns about troop shortages. European officials have warned that the lack of manpower could soon jeopardize Ukraine’s ability to hold territories like Russia’s Kursk border region, which Ukraine seized earlier this year. The situation in Kursk has grown more precarious with the recent arrival of thousands of North Korean troops assisting Moscow.

The urgency to address Ukraine's manpower shortfall coincides with the impending inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on January 20. Trump has pledged a swift resolution to the war, raising uncertainty over continued U.S. military support under his administration.

Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, commented, “There are no easy answers to Ukraine’s serious manpower shortage, but lowering the draft age would help.”

In April, Ukraine's parliament enacted laws to broaden its draft-eligible pool, lowering the minimum age for conscription from 27 to 25, eliminating some draft exemptions, and creating an online registry for recruits. However, these measures were projected to add only 50,000 troops, far short of what Zelenskyy acknowledged as necessary.

Conscription remains a contentious issue in Ukraine, with some citizens expressing concerns that further lowering the draft age could harm the already fragile economy by removing more young adults from the workforce.

The Biden administration also believes Ukraine could improve its military effectiveness by addressing issues such as desertion and unauthorized absences among its existing troops.

As Ukraine braces for potential shifts in U.S. policy under a new administration, it faces mounting pressure to address its manpower challenges while maintaining its fight against Russia.