Alternative (non-military) service in Estonia: experience for improving Ukraine’s national security

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the system of alternative (non-military) service in Estonia as an integral part of the broad-based national defense concept and a tool for strengthening societal resilience to crises. The relevance of the topic is driven by the growing role of non-mil...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Y.M. Kotylko
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University 2025-07-01
Series:Економіка, управління та адміністрування
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ema.ztu.edu.ua/article/view/335686
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849243430286262272
author Y.M. Kotylko
author_facet Y.M. Kotylko
author_sort Y.M. Kotylko
collection DOAJ
description The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the system of alternative (non-military) service in Estonia as an integral part of the broad-based national defense concept and a tool for strengthening societal resilience to crises. The relevance of the topic is driven by the growing role of non-military security components in the context of modern threats, as evidenced by Estonia’s experience in preparing and utilizing alternative service resources to support public security and civil protection. The aim of the study is to examine the Estonian model of alternative service, identify its main features, recent reforms, and potential lessons for improving Ukraine’s national defense system. The research objectives included analyzing the legal framework of alternative service in Estonia, the organizational aspects of its implementation, and the potential for expanding alternative service in the fields of rescue operations, healthcare, and crisis response. The methodological basis of the work consisted of general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, and generalization, which made it possible to conduct a systematic review of Estonian regulatory acts, official publications, and analytical materials from the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences. The results of the study show that Estonia is considering the expansion of alternative service by involving individuals who have not been conscripted into compulsory military service. In particular, it is proposed to assign alternative service personnel to the sectors of rescue services, police, healthcare, and critical infrastructure support. A significant innovation is the creation of an alternative service reserve, which ensures the mobilization readiness of individuals after completing their service. Alternative service is integrated into the overall national defense system and contributes to the development of civic responsibility and preparedness for crisis situations.
format Article
id doaj-art-d1aa8a9bc9cd46ca9de3ad8b02b27d67
institution Kabale University
issn 2664-245X
2664-2468
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University
record_format Article
series Економіка, управління та адміністрування
spelling doaj-art-d1aa8a9bc9cd46ca9de3ad8b02b27d672025-08-20T03:59:30ZengZhytomyr Polytechnic State UniversityЕкономіка, управління та адміністрування2664-245X2664-24682025-07-011122101108doi.org/10.26642/ema-2025-2(112)-101-108Alternative (non-military) service in Estonia: experience for improving Ukraine’s national securityY.M. Kotylko0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3870-5431Державна служба України з етнополітики та свободи совісті, UkraineThe article provides a comprehensive analysis of the system of alternative (non-military) service in Estonia as an integral part of the broad-based national defense concept and a tool for strengthening societal resilience to crises. The relevance of the topic is driven by the growing role of non-military security components in the context of modern threats, as evidenced by Estonia’s experience in preparing and utilizing alternative service resources to support public security and civil protection. The aim of the study is to examine the Estonian model of alternative service, identify its main features, recent reforms, and potential lessons for improving Ukraine’s national defense system. The research objectives included analyzing the legal framework of alternative service in Estonia, the organizational aspects of its implementation, and the potential for expanding alternative service in the fields of rescue operations, healthcare, and crisis response. The methodological basis of the work consisted of general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, and generalization, which made it possible to conduct a systematic review of Estonian regulatory acts, official publications, and analytical materials from the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences. The results of the study show that Estonia is considering the expansion of alternative service by involving individuals who have not been conscripted into compulsory military service. In particular, it is proposed to assign alternative service personnel to the sectors of rescue services, police, healthcare, and critical infrastructure support. A significant innovation is the creation of an alternative service reserve, which ensures the mobilization readiness of individuals after completing their service. Alternative service is integrated into the overall national defense system and contributes to the development of civic responsibility and preparedness for crisis situations.https://ema.ztu.edu.ua/article/view/335686religious organizationsfreedom of consciencealternative (non-military) servicereligious beliefslegal regulationnational securitynational defensemilitary dutyestonia
spellingShingle Y.M. Kotylko
Alternative (non-military) service in Estonia: experience for improving Ukraine’s national security
Економіка, управління та адміністрування
religious organizations
freedom of conscience
alternative (non-military) service
religious beliefs
legal regulation
national security
national defense
military duty
estonia
title Alternative (non-military) service in Estonia: experience for improving Ukraine’s national security
title_full Alternative (non-military) service in Estonia: experience for improving Ukraine’s national security
title_fullStr Alternative (non-military) service in Estonia: experience for improving Ukraine’s national security
title_full_unstemmed Alternative (non-military) service in Estonia: experience for improving Ukraine’s national security
title_short Alternative (non-military) service in Estonia: experience for improving Ukraine’s national security
title_sort alternative non military service in estonia experience for improving ukraine s national security
topic religious organizations
freedom of conscience
alternative (non-military) service
religious beliefs
legal regulation
national security
national defense
military duty
estonia
url https://ema.ztu.edu.ua/article/view/335686
work_keys_str_mv AT ymkotylko alternativenonmilitaryserviceinestoniaexperienceforimprovingukrainesnationalsecurity