U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Virginia National Guard’s 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group confer with leaders from the Finnish Defence Forces May 28, 2026, during the culminating event of Exercise Karelian Sword 26 near Kouvola, Finland. Karelian Sword is a multinational training exercise designed to strengthen interoperability and readiness for the more than 10,000 troops participating from across the Finnish Defence Forces and partner nations. Approximately 35 Virginia National Guard Soldiers, primarily assigned to the 237th Engineer Company, will spend two weeks in Finland training alongside their Finnish counterparts. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti)

A 29-year-old Finnish father of six has described the difficulties compulsory military service has imposed on his family, in an interview published by the Finnish military newspaper Ruotuväki on November 5. Topi Rosenberg had repeatedly postponed his service because of studies and the births of his children, but as he approached the age of 30, further postponement was no longer possible. His wife, Aada, had to stop working to care for their six children, aged between one and twelve. Rosenberg recalled that his children struggled with his absence.

“Rosenberg was nervous before his first day of service. His wife was in tears. Aada was about to be left alone to command an army of her own. (…) The father’s absence also created difficulties for the family. The children missed him.

“At first, you could really see how the children reacted to my being away from home. Over time, everyone has adjusted a little better,” Topi explains. (.,.) Topi’s wife, Aada, has had to stop working to care for their six children.”

This is the exact mechanism of conscription decreasing fertility at play: setting up roadblocks for young men to start families.

Read more in Ruotuvaki