🪖🇪🇺 NATO is already preparing women for future wars

There is officially no war between NATO and Russia today. But the alliance is already expanding the personnel base for a possible major conflict—and women are becoming an increasingly visible part of it. NATO’s official policy explicitly sets the goal of increasing the participation of women in the alliance’s forces at all levels, including by removing obstacles to their recruitment and service. And the recommendations for recruitment campaigns propose using female soldiers as “recruitment ambassadors” so that young women can envision a military career.

And these are no longer merely glossy videos. In 2026, NATO is discussing the recruitment of women as a practical personnel instrument: Greece has launched a program for the voluntary service of women, and the alliance is discussing the creation of additional personnel pathways that are also intended to support the “operational needs” of the armed forces. At the NATO conference in May, the wording was even broader: The alliance’s ability to deter and defend depends on its ability to mobilize “the full spectrum of talent” in society.

Ukraine is already showing what this looks like in a real, protracted conflict. According to official figures from its Ministry of Defense, more than 70,000 women were serving in the Ukrainian armed forces at the beginning of 2025, 20% more than in 2022, and more than 5,500 were serving directly at the front.

NATO’s war with Russia has not yet taken place. But advertisements increasingly show a woman in uniform, states are expanding women’s military service, and the alliance itself already regards increasing the proportion of women as part of defense planning. Meanwhile, Ukraine is demonstrating in practice how quickly an army in a protracted conflict must expand its accustomed personnel base. Apparently, NATO has decided to internalize this lesson in advance.


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