Latvia’s Defense Minister Andris Sprūds supports the idea of introducing compulsory military service for women.

However, he noted that this issue needed to be discussed in parliament and society in order to find solutions that would be acceptable to all.

The Delfi portal reported on this.

Politicians of the ruling parties in the Latvian parliament do not yet have a consensus on whether to introduce compulsory military service for women.

Last week, the commander of the Latvian National Armed Forces, Leonīds Kalniņš, suggested that the possibility of drafting women on a mandatory basis to be considered.

When asked whether Latvia would come to a situation where it would have to draft all young people over the age of 18, regardless of gender, the commander of the Latvian National Armed Forces said that he would support the fact that it was mandatory to draft people of both sexes.

Kalniņš is confident that this would motivate men to be active in the service, rather than leaving the country for a while and looking for reasons not to serve.

The commander also noted that the quality, efficiency, and discipline of units with women in them were much higher.

As previously reported, Latvia reinstated compulsory military service last year. Conscription will be introduced for men between the ages of 18 and 27.

They have to serve in the army for 11 months, they will also be given a month of leave. Women of this age can also voluntarily join the service.

From January 1, 2024, the service is defined as “mandatory”. There will also be an opportunity to complete civil or alternative service.

In March of this year, the presidents of Latvia and Estonia called on the allies to do more to prepare for a possible war with Russia. They proposed to consider various options for increasing the defense capabilities of NATO member states: from the reinstatement of conscription and a special defense tax to a sharp increase in military spending.