Prime Minister-designate Inga Ruginienė believes that Lithuania will eventually have to introduce universal military conscription.
“I think we may not be able to avoid it,” she told 15min.lt in an interview on Wednesday.
This year, a little under 4,000 young people are called to perform military service. The conscripts serve for nine months, but starting next year, they will be able to choose shorter terms of three, six, or nine months.
The conscription reform also calls for drafting 18- to 22-year-olds after school, with the annual number of conscripts set to increase. Some politicians say this brings the country closer to universal conscription.
“I have to admit I’ve always supported a professional army. I believe that a motivated person can move mountains. But we can’t ignore where and how we live,” Ruginienė said.
President Gitanas Nausėda has said that if universal conscription were introduced, only men would be called up at first, but he also stressed that Lithuania is not yet ready for such a step.
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