Defense Ministry promises to take further steps next year on mandatory conscription of women from 2028

RIGA - The Defense Ministry will take the next steps next year to achieve compulsory recruitment of women into the National Defense Service (NDS) in 2028, Defense Minister Andris Spruds (Progressives) said in an interview with Delfi TV.

Spruds admitted that the mandatory conscription of women in the NDS is still a topical issue, as the topic of gender equality and ownership is very important for him as the defense minister and for the Progressives party he represents.

"We see that both boys and girls are involved in national defense training and this has been introduced in all schools, so the topic of gender equality and the involvement of both genders in the NDS is also relevant," the minister stressed.

In order to proceed further, two things need to be done, the minister said. Firstly, provision of gender-appropriate equipment, including uniforms, which will be delivered to women serving in the army as early as next year. Secondly, the infrastructure needs to be prepared to ensure quality service.

The next step will be to come up with a concrete proposal that from 2028, the NDS should be extended to both men and women, the minister stressed.

At the same time, the Minister did not deny that there is a need for further discussion with the public on this issue, as their support is needed.

Spruds also informed that discussions on the conscription of women to the NDS had already been held with the coalition partners and would continue. According to him, the partners were open to this issue, but the conversation should continue.

Commenting on the fact that 191 administrative offences had been initiated this year in the Military Police for the failure of young men recruited by the NDS to attend a medical check-up without a justifiable reason or for failing to complete a medical check-up, Spruds pointed out that the Defense Ministry continues to emphasize the principle of voluntarism and the number of volunteers continued to increase.

Amendments to the NDS are currently being prepared to streamline the service, so there will be discussions on a possible increase in administrative fines, possibly even criminalization, Spruds said. At the same time, he stressed that the ministry does not want to rush into this issue yet, as a more thorough analysis is needed.

The law on the National Defense Service was adopted by the Parliament on April 5, 2023. It obliges every Latvian male citizen to serve in the NDS within one year of reaching the age of 18 or, if he continues his education at elementary or secondary level, within one year of graduating from an educational institution, but not later than until the age of 24. At the same time, it is stipulated that Latvian citizens - men and women - from 18 to 27 years of age may apply for the NDS on a voluntary basis.

If there are not a sufficient number of volunteers, citizens of the above mentioned age group will be drafted at random.

The NDS is a form of national service comprising national defense military service and national defense civilian service (alternative service).

The National Armed Forces is moving towards the currently planned number of 4,000 NDS soldiers to be trained annually.

According to an order issued by the defense minister, the random selection of the recruits took place for the first time on November 26, 2024.