Lithuania’s Defence Ministry has proposed a conscription reform that will include shorter service for some conscripts, according to the bill registered on Tuesday.
Under the bill, the nine-month service could be shortened by up to three months, but only to servicemen who meet certain conditions. The conditions and procedure for the shorter service time will be determined by the commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
Under the plan, 50 to 65 percent of conscripts will do the nine-month service and 35 to 50 percent will do six months.
Changes for students
The amendments also foresee that university and college students, currently exempt from conscription, will be required to perform military service either by attending the Junior Officer Commanders’ training or by joining the National Defence Volunteer Force. This form of service can be performed on weekends or during the summer, allowing full-time students to continue their studies.
Under the bill, the conscription age limit would be 18-21 years instead of the existing 18-23 years. Volunteers would be able to serve between the ages of 18 and 38, unchanged from now.
Moreover, conscripts who have acquired a qualification in a profession that is in short supply in the military could serve for three months. The conscription age for the latter would be 18-30.
The changes to the conscription law are meant to ensure that the armed forces’ active reserve is supplemented with required skills. According to the Defence Ministry, there is currently a shortage of around 2,000 specialists to fill the wartime structure.
The two-month service period is set for people who do not meet the medical requirements but still want to serve.
Conscription from age of 17
Under the new rules, 17-year-olds would be eligible for conscription and would need to undergo health check-ups at the medical facilities of the Lithuanian Armed Forces in order to be ready for immediate service once they turn 18 and graduate from school.
Moreover, to prevent evasion, a draft age of 30 is introduced for people who have been called up for service but failed to report.
After completing the military service, people would remain in the active reserve for 15 years, up from 10 years under the current rules. This would allow them to be called up for refresher training for a longer period of time and increase the number of active reserve personnel.
Financial incentives
The bill also provides for financial incentives, both for conscripts and their employers.
Conscripts will receive a threefold increase in their cash allowances from the seventh to the ninth month of service. According to the Defence Ministry, the goal is to further motivate conscripts to serve longer. After their service, all conscripts will be eligible for the reimbursement for a car driving course for one year.
In the event that a conscript does not return to their former job, they will receive a subsidy of one month’s salary.
Moreover, the employer who employs a conscript who has completed nine months of service would receive a wage subsidy for six months. If the conscript had served for a shorter period, they would be reimbursed at the rate of two-thirds of their monthly salary for each month of their service.
The Defence Ministry said earlier it expected the active reserve to increase to around 47,000 by 2030.
The ministry said earlier it hoped the changes would allow 5,000 conscripts to be drafted each year, instead of the current intake of 3,800.
The reform still needs approval by the government and the parliament, Seimas.
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