Volunteers fill up half of 2016 military draft

DELFI / Mindaugas Ažušilis

The Lithuanian army is planning to call 3,000 young men between 18 and 26 for a nine-month compulsory military service. As of mid-March, 1,406 people have signed up for the service voluntarily.

Lithuania reintroduced military draft in 2015, arguing that the army could not man its units with professional soldiers alone.

Initially conscription was introduced as a temporary measure for five years, but the State Defence Council decided this week to extend it indefinitely.

The Lithuanian government has also substantially raised funding for national defence, planning to reach the 2% GDP target, set out by NATO, by the end of the decade.

You may like

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


RECOMMENDED ARTICLES