Latvia - April 2023

The Saeima adopted a law requiring male Latvian citizens to be drafted into the State Defence Service (Valsts aizsardzības dienests, VAD) within a year of turning 18, with the first draft beginning service on 1 July 2023. The law passed with 68 votes in favour, and 11 votes against it. The service also accepts volunteers, and men or women between the ages of 18 to 27 are eligible (citizens over this age can serve in the National Guard). The draft for military service will begin with volunteers, and remaining spaces will be filled based on random selection. Mandatory service had been abolished in 2007, a few years after Latvia’s accession to NATO. A communication from the Ministry of Defence emphasises the need for Latvia to strengthen its own national defence forces, and states, “The war in Ukraine highlights the need for massive resources against aggression on this scale.”

Sources:  Saeima Press Service, LSM (1), LSM (2), Deutsche Welle, Ministry of Defence, Likumi