Latvia should prepare for the compulsory conscription of women by 2028, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said on Tuesday.
The announcement comes less than a year and a half after the Baltic state reintroduced mandatory national service.
“Moving towards comprehensive national defense, I support the compulsory recruitment of women into the national defense service. 2028 could be the optimal time to start,” Spruds wrote on X (formerly Twitter), echoing statements made on national television.
The minister acknowledged that the groundwork for the change still needs to be laid, including altering the “public discourse” surrounding the initiative. He also emphasized the need to improve the “infrastructure of the service, as well as the provision of materiel and equipment tailored specifically to women.”
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In an interview on Latvia’s TV3, he stated that the National Armed Forces have already been given “appropriate tasks” to prepare the infrastructure for accepting female draftees.
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With a total population of around 1.87 million, Latvia maintains a military comprising just over 17,000 active-duty service members and 38,000 reservists.
An EU and NATO member since 2004, Latvia abolished national service in 2006. The Baltic state reintroduced conscription last year, citing the need to train its population for a potential confrontation with Moscow following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Moscow has dismissed Western claims that it intends to attack the US-led military bloc as “ridiculous.”