Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas on Thursday unveiled plans to reform the compulsory initial military service.
According to him, the Defence Ministry proposed to shorten the compulsory service to six months instead of the current nine months and increase the number of conscripts to 5,000.
“The reform would allow increasing the number of conscripts from 3,800 to 5,000 in 2027,” the minister told reporters on Thursday.
Half of the conscripts would be assigned to the reserve after completing their six-month service, and the other half would continue their service for another three months on a voluntary basis, he said.
“According to the surveys, studies, and the current situation, it can be said that these are realistic figures,” Anušauskas said.
According to the minister, those who would remain in service for nine months would be trained as young commanders and specialists and would carry out tasks in various patrols and rapid reaction forces. During this period, they would be paid the salary of a professional soldier.
The reform would also introduce three-month conscription for young people who have completed their studies.
“Young people needed as specialists after acquiring certain specialities, such as engineers, would be called up for a three-month basic training,” the minister said. “I’d say this is an attractive alternative to the current system as well.”
Another proposed alternative is a three-year service on weekends in the National Defence Volunteer Force.
The aim of the reform is to broaden the involvement of young people in the country’s defence and increase the number of the active reserve by 2030.
The Lithuanian parliament reintroduced the mandatory nine-month initial military service in the spring of 2015 in light of the changed geopolitical situation and security threats.
Currently, 18-23 year-olds are called up for compulsory service, but so are men up to the age of 26 if their service was postponed due to higher education.
Larger reserve
The conscription reform will help achieve the goal of having 40,000 active reserve soldiers in the armed forces, according to Chief of Defence Valdemaras Rupšys.
“We’re talking about at least 40,000 active reserve soldiers. With today’s training system, we cannot guarantee this, so we’re looking at options,” he told reporters on Thursday.
Currently, Lithuanian Armed Forces have an active reserve of 27,000 people.
The active reserve is regularly called up to refresh their skills and can be called upon to assist other institutions in times of emergency. During mobilisation and war, they are called up to serve in the armed forces.
According to Rupšys, proposals to reorganise the conscription system have already been submitted to President Gitanas Nausėda.
To prepare for the changes, instructors would have to be trained and infrastructure prepared to accommodate a larger number of people.
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