Lithuania Aims to Boost Women’s Role in National Defense

Lithuanian Minister of Defense Dovilė Šakalienė highlighted the growing need to strengthen the role of women in national defense, as reported by LRT.

She noted that increasing the number of service members may become necessary, especially in light of the country’s population size and rising security threats, making greater involvement of women in the armed forces an important consideration.

Šakalienė stated that the current situation in the country is such that if Lithuania wants to have more military personnel in the next 5–10 years, “it will have to increase the role of women in defense.”

“Utilizing the full potential of our society is the first thing we must do. Lithuania is a country that adheres to the principle of total defense, and there is no asterisk in the Constitution that says ‘except women,’” she said.

According to the Minister, women currently comprise about one-tenth of Lithuania’s Armed Forces, which aligns with the NATO average.

“However, their involvement in non-kinetic aspects of defense — such as cyber defense, logistics, and strategic communications — is growing rapidly,” Šakalienė noted.

As an example, she cited Ukraine, noting that in 2023, 60,000 women served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“They became an inspiration to many, regardless of whether it was easy or simple, or whether they had previously been professional soldiers. But the situation demands doing everything possible, and they have shown they are capable of extraordinary things,” the Minister said.

According to her, research shows that Sweden’s 2018 decision to reinstate conscription for both men and women improved the army’s combat readiness. Moreover, the presence of women in the armed forces increases public trust and strengthens the population’s identification with national defense.

Šakalienė also noted that research shows army units composed of both men and women are capable of making more effective strategic decisions.

In light of this statement, it’s worth recalling that at the end of April, Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Raimundas Vaikšnoras stated that there is currently no need to introduce compulsory military service for women.