"This will be philosophically one of our pursuits as we move ahead, into the future, in consultation with the Afghan people," Karzai told senior officials and security experts at a conference in Munich, southern Germany, on Sunday.
"Right now we have a volunteer system, which means an army entirely paid for and professionals," he said, but noted: "As in other countries, Afghanistan had a strong tradition of conscript army."
He said community leaders had been advising "me to go back to some form of conscription for the Afghan army, so the young boys from the Afghan countryside can come to training centres ... and learn something, and go back home".
Conscription was compulsory in Afghanistan between the ages of 18 and 45 up until 1992.
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Karzai's remarks come as NATO and its partners strive to build the Afghan army and police up so they can take responsibility for national security.
"By the year 2012, we in Afghanistan we should have at least 300,000 of our army and police force that is trained and equipped, that is able to take leading responsibility in a greater part of the country," he said.
"This also means that in five years, Afghanistan should be able to provide responsibility for its people, so we are no longer a burden on the shoulders of the international community," he added.
