The Commander of the National Armed Forces of Latvia (NAF), Leonids Kalniņš, proposes to consider the possibility of drafting women into the national defense service on a mandatory basis.
He said this on Thursday in a program on Latvian radio Krustpunktā, Delfi reports.
Next year, the military service in Latvia is planned to be staffed by about 1000 young people, to reach up to 4000 soldiers a year.
Kalniņš did not deny that the unfavorable demographic situation is a concern for the ability to man the required 4,000 soldiers. The NAF will definitely have to look for ways to motivate society to participate in this type of service.
"My belief and attitude is that a volunteer soldier is the best, the highest quality, and the most effective. And I hope that with voluntary participation, the service will motivate the rest of the citizens of Latvia, and the number of people we call upon a mandatory basis will not be large in percentage terms," the NAF commander said.
Author - Olena Madiak, 01/08/2024