Mandatory Military Conscription Returns to Jordan Amid Regional Anxiety Over 'Greater Israel'
Jordan has announced the return of mandatory military service after more than three decades, a move framed as a bid to instill discipline and national unity in young men, but one that comes against the backdrop of rising regional tension fueled by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s talk of a “Greater Israel.”
Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II confirmed the reactivation of the National Military Service Program in a speech on August 17, ending the conscription hiatus that had been in place since 1991. Beginning in February 2026, young men born in 2007 will be selected by electronic lottery, with about 6,000 recruits expected in the first round. Officials say that number will grow to 10,000 within a few years.
Government spokespeople have described the policy as a tool to build discipline, readiness, and national identity. “The time has come for Jordanians to return to service of their country in this way,” Hussein said. Exemptions will apply only to those deemed medically unfit, only children, or citizens living abroad. Penalties for avoiding service include fines, three months to one year in prison, and compulsory service afterward.
The revival of the draft is not occurring in a vacuum. Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly invoked the idea of a “Greater Israel,” stoking fears across the region that Israel may pursue territorial expansion at a time when its war in Gaza has already destabilized the wider Middle East. Analysts note that Jordan, which borders both Israel and the occupied West Bank, faces direct risks from this rhetoric. While officials have stopped short of explicitly linking the draft to Israeli policy, the timing makes the connection hard to ignore.
Jordan has long relied on its military as a stabilizing force, and compulsory service once formed a key part of national life before being suspended in the early 1990s. Bringing it back signals both a domestic strategy to manage restless youth unemployment and a regional calculation in the face of heightened threats.
The reintroduction of conscription underscores how Netanyahu’s expansionist talk is reverberating beyond Israel’s borders. For Jordan, a country with limited resources but a critical strategic position, preparing its next generation for service looks like both a defensive necessity and a political statement.