Most Slovaks back mandatory military service, but few say they would fight for their country

In brief

• A GLOBSEC survey finds 60 percent of Slovaks support mandatory military service.
• Only 47 percent say they would defend their country if attacked, a level shared with Germany and the lowest among the surveyed countries where a majority would fight.
• Less than half of Slovaks back higher defence spending, and seven in ten support EU defence capacity alongside NATO.

Mandatory service outpaces willingness to fight

Sixty percent of Slovak respondents back compulsory military service, according to the GLOBSEC Trends 2026 survey, which was carried out among 13,730 respondents in 14 countries (Vojenská služba áno, do boja už nie. Prieskum ukázal, aký pohľad na obranu majú Slováci aj zvyšok EÚ – STVR) (Len polovica Slovákov považuje Rusko za hrozbu, ukázal prieskum. Väčšina je za povinnú vojenskú službu – HNonline.sk) (Prieskum GLOBSEC:Koľko Slovákov chce povinnú vojenčinu a brániť vlasť? – TASR / TERAZ.sk). That figure is higher than the share of Slovaks who say they would take up arms to defend their country if attacked, which stands at 47 percent. Slovakia and Germany are the only two of the 14 surveyed countries where a majority does not say it would defend its homeland, although in the other twelve a majority does.

Defence spending and European capacity

Less than half of Slovaks support raising defence spending, compared with more than three-fifths across the surveyed countries on average. Only about one-third of Slovaks would back higher military outlays if they meant cutting funds for health care or social benefits.

Seven in ten Slovaks want the European Union to build its own defence capacity alongside NATO, and two-thirds support creating a European army (Rusko je dôležitý partner, Slováci veria aj tomu, že ho Západ ho vyprovokoval – SME.sk).

Views of the United States and Russia

Critical views of the United States are widespread across Europe. On average, more than a third of Europeans regard Washington as a security threat, and a little over half consider it a reliable partner. In Slovakia, 23 percent of respondents name the United States among the most important strategic partners, the lowest figure among the surveyed countries. Thirty-eight percent of Slovaks name Russia as a partner. Only about half of Slovaks see Russia as a threat, and a notable share believe the West provoked it.

Readiness for crisis

Only one in five Slovaks believes the state is prepared for a serious crisis or war.