Lithuania Reintroduces Conscription and Compulsory Military Service

Decision made by the Lithuanian State Defence Council must be approved by the Lithuanian Parliament, however, the Ministry of Defence informed that preparations have been started, aim of which would be to reintroduce the compulsory military service. It is expected that ca. 3500 soldiers will be called for duty.

Military service in Lithuania is to last 9 months, and the obligation shall include the conscripts aged 19 – 26 and persons with higher education, who are up to 38 years old. The main goal of conscription is to complete the army human resources within the period between 2015 and 2016 and to create proper reserves. The obligation of serving in the military, for all of the groups listed above, has been introduced for a period of 5 years.

In the light of the Ukrainian crisis, the Lithuanian authorities have decided to undertake operations, aim of which would be to bolster the defensive capabilities of the country. Level of defence spending has been increased, and additional assets have been allocated to procure Javelin anti tank weapons and the Polish made Grom MANPADS. Quick Reaction Force has also been formed. Despite the newly introduced measures, military potential  of Lithuania is still limited, and defence spending is to constitute 2% of GDP by 2020. Currently the defence spending is shaped at the level of 1.1% of GDP.