The Ministry of National Defence submitted amendments to the law on the Armed Forces to the government . It includes a plan to draft 3,000-3,500 men to compulsory military service.
The Ministry and the chief of defence have emphasised that first they expect people to join the service voluntarily. Based on the draft law, the number of soldiers in 2015 is projected to stand between 16,840 and 22,000.
If the sufficient number of volunteers does not turn up, then mandatory conscription of men aged 19-26 years and university graduates of up to 38 years (inclusive) will be announced.
The proposal to reintroduce mandatory military service was announced by the State Defence Council. President Dalia Grybauskaite says was a temporary move made due to ‘geopolitical circumstances’.
