Increasing number of young people keen to voluntarily enter conscript service

TALLINN - Anu Rannaveski, director general of the Estonian Defense Resources Agency, told the daily Postimees that in July last year, the amount of people voluntarily entering conscript service was a record 77 percent.

This year, 80 percent of young people will voluntarily enter conscript service as part of the summer call-up.

"The larger figure is encouraging and shows that the will to defend among young people is not only persistent, but is on the rise," Rannaveski said.

Conscripts will be stationed in various units across Estonia, including the Cyber Command, the Special Operations Forces, the Support Command, the Navy, the Military Police, the 1st Infantry Brigade and the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Division, the Division's Artillery Battalion, the Division's Unmanned Air Defense Battery, the Division's ISTAR Battalion, the Division's Logistics Battalion and the Division's Headquarters and Signal Battalion.

According to the plan, 1,700 conscripts will be drafted into the Estonian Division.

Communications specialist Ranno Rokk said that conscription is mandatory if the conscript has received an assessment meeting the health requirements in the course of a health assessment. In the health assessments conducted last year, 43 percent of conscripts met the health requirements, 33 percent temporarily did not, and 24 percent did not meet the health requirements. An assessment was given regarding the health status of 10,358 conscripts.

Rokk added that when comparing last year with 2023, the rate of compliance with health requirements has remained the same, but the proportion of those who temporarily do not comply has increased. In 2023, it was 29 percent, in 2024 it was 33 percent. At the same time, the proportion of those who do not comply with health requirements has decreased -- in 2023 it was 28 percent and in 2024 it was 24 percent.

Candidates are most often declared unfit or temporarily unfit due to mental and behavioral disorders, and musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases.

"The percentage of compliance with health requirements has remained at the same level for some time now, with some variability," Rokk said.

In 2019, 40 percent of those assessed met the health requirements, in 2021, 47 percent met the health requirements, and in 2022, 50 percent.

Last July, nearly 2,300 young people began conscript service. In 2024, 3,867 conscripts entered conscript service. In 2025, up to 4,000 conscripts will be recruited.

With the "Conscription Together" project, 92 groups with at least five members are about to begin their conscript service. 25 top athletes will also begin their service -- they will be allowed to continue training while completing their service as part of the cooperation between the Estonian Olympic Committee and the Estonian defense forces.

Seventeen conscripts will come from abroad, including Finland, the United States, Belgium, Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Luxembourg.

The service of conscripts entering conscript service in July will last 11 months, during which future commanders, specialists and drivers will be trained.

The next call-up will take place in October.