Women may soon face compulsory military service in Latvia as the Baltic state mulls calling up females in the face of Russian aggression.
Latvian Defence Minister Andris Spruds told broadcasters on Tuesday (August 27) that women could be called up as soon as 2028.
In remarks quoted by Latvia’s Nra.lv news website, Mr Spruds told TV3: “Until then there is ‘homework’ to be done. There needs to be a discussion in the community…
“It is not just a matter for the coalition (government). It is a matter for political parties, the parliament and the whole of society.”
Mr Spruds added that there is a need to modernise Latvia’s aspects of his country’s military, including some equipment, according to a translation of his remarks.
Latvia last year debated whether to include women in plans for mandatory conscription, with the decision taken to limit the move to men only.
However, while drafts will be compulsory for men, women can still apply to join the ranks of Latvia’s armed forces voluntarily.
Women make up 16.5 percent of Latvia’s army personnel, with a goal to increase this to 25 percent by 2026, according to Washington DC based non-profit The Center for European Policy Analysis.
The Baltic state is on the front line of the NATO military alliance’s eastern European bulwark against Russia, with which the country shares a border.
Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s full-scale war agaisnt Ukraine has prompted some countries in the European Union to reconsider mandatory military service.
Latvia abolished conscription in 2006, but reintroduced it last year with a goal to swell the armed forces’ ranks by another 4,000 by 2028.
Mr Spruds told Latvian TV mandatory conscription for women won’t happen today or tomorrow. He went on to explain on X that work needed to be done, including the provision of material and equipment tailored to women.
In January, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia agreed plans for a common defence zone along their borders with Russia and Belarus.
That move was in response to mounting security concerns to Russia‘s war in Ukraine and the need to strengthen border defences.
Estonia alone plans to build 600 bunkers along its border with Russia, with work set to begin early next year, according to Politico.