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Latvia still reluctant to reintroduce military service 41404163.
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Defence & Security News - (Latvia)
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| Latvia still reluctant to reintroduce military service | |||
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Despite the deterioration of the relations with Russia, Latvia is still reluctant to reintroduce military conscription. Compared to the rest of the Baltic countries, the Latvian government is the only one that has not move forward with such a decision. Military service was abolished in 2007 in favour of a fully professional army.
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 Latvia has agreed to acquire 125 Scimitar vehicles from the UK (Photo: Latvian Army) |
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Latvia’s Defence Minister, Raimonds Bergmanis, stated 11 April, on national television, that it is necessary to resume the debate on national military service. However, the country does not currently have the financial resources to implement it. He also stressed that before any decision on military conscription is taken, he would like to see previous ones being implemented, namely the increase in the number of professional soldiers and home guards. The Latvian Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Raimonds Graube, has also agreed with the minister’s approach. He mentioned that the reintroduction of military conscription would impose a heavy financial burden due to the required investment in infrastructure, logistical support and training. Nevertheless, he left the option for the reintroduction of draft open, in case that the security risks would become higher. Latvia maintains a military force of close to 4,500 soldiers based on the latest EDA figures. In case of emergency, they are reinforced by the Home Guards and Young Guards estimated at 12,000. |
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