Europe’s draft revival is being sold on a seductive story: that the Nordic “total defence” model proves conscription is modern, efficient, and socially unifying. Across Europe, politicians increasingly point North for inspiration. Our report provides evidence that this “success story” is largely a mirage. Nordic draft relies on coerced teens paid abusive wages, produces waste through bottlenecks and idle time, and trains for yesterday’s wars with yesterday’s equipment. The report examines the lived realities of conscript forces in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, where forced service too often means peer violence, abuses of authority, sexual misconduct, and degrading living conditions.