Conscription needed to fill army vacancies fast and less costly, Lithuanian president says

“The decision was that we need to form the army this and next year, i.e., to swiftly finalize army formation and we would be able to do so with professionals only by 2020-2021. That’s the first task. Second, professionals cost twice as much as conscripts – around EUR 18,000 and 9,000 per year respectively,” the president told the national radio LRT on Thursday.

Moreover, she said, following the nine-month training, conscripts would become trained reservists.

“And now, as Chief of Defence Jonas Vytautas Žukas has said recently, we have only around 2,500 people in the active and completely-trained reserve,” Grybauskaitė said. “So these three tasks are urgent and we can resolve this by temporarily restoring conscription for the period of five years. So over the upcoming period of five years our army will become mixed and similar to armies the majority of countries in the region have.”

Related Post

According to the president, the State Defence Council made a unanimous decision to restore conscription during its recent meeting.

On Tuesday, the State Defence Council proposed conscripting about 3,500 young men to undergo nine-month training every year. The plans are yet to be approved by parliament.

Lithuania scrapped military conscription back in 2008.

Share

Recent Posts

  • Latest

Message from the President’s Office to Paluckas on Žemaitaitis

While Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas does not take issue with the statements made by the…

7 hours ago
  • Economy

Surprised by what’s happening in Lithuania: this is what makes us stand out in the EU

Lithuanian economists are surprised to see our country's economic growth: the Estonian economy has been…

2 weeks ago
  • Politics

Will the coalition shut the door on Žemaitaitis?

"The fate of Nemuno Aušra (Dawn of Nemunas) in the coalition has been decided; they…

2 weeks ago
  • Tribune

Airvolve has begun the patenting process for an exclusive aircraft

Airvolve, a Lithuanian dual-purpose aeronautics company, has successfully completed its first round of testing and…

2 weeks ago
  • Latest

Bruveris. The world in 2025: a continuation of last year’s collapses towards new fires

The world is becoming smaller, more intertwined, and increasingly fragmented, with many of the previous…

4 weeks ago
  • Tribune

Why Fine Dining Is Gaining Popularity in Vilnius?

In recent years, Vilnius, the vibrant capital of Lithuania, has experienced a culinary renaissance. While…

1 month ago