Latvia is gradually reinstating mandatory military service. The first conscription is planned for 2023. Military service will last 11 months, including a month of vacation. On weekends, conscripts will be able to go home. There will also be alternative service options available.

Mandatory military service for men aged between 18 and 27 will be introduced by 2028. Women will also be able to serve in the army, but at their own will. These changes have already been supported by the country’s government, LSM reports.

Artis Pabriks, Latvian Defense Minister mentioned that in 2023, there will be two conscription waves. They would provide the military with a thousand new people.

“Young people born in 2004 will be the first to be called into the ranks of the army. We plan to try to recruit the first 500 people on a voluntary basis at the end of January next year,” Pabriks said.

However, already in the summer of next year, military service in Latvia will not just be voluntary.

“We are already planning to conduct the next recruitment stage, which will take place in July, through the selection procedure. It will no longer be just voluntary. The plan is to recruit 500 people through this process,” the Minister of Defense said.

Starting from the second half of 2023, the conscription of men who have reached the age of 18 and 19 will be mandatory.

It is expected that with the introduction of compulsory military service, the number of professional soldiers will increase by several thousand and will reach 31 thousand.

At the same time, a reserve of high combat readiness is being established. It will include 20,000 conscripts who will be able to start defending their country in a short time.

The Ministry of Defense of Latvia proposed to introduce general military conscription in the country due to the threats coming from Russia.

Also, the restoration of this staffing principle will improve the recruitment system for the country’s armed forces.

At the end of their service, those who have passed it will be considered the military reserve and will occasionally be required to undergo short-term training to refresh their skills and knowledge.