Weekly Briefing, Vol. 61. No. 1 (LVA) April 2023
Reaction of the Latvian Society to Compulsory State Military Service
Summary
The article discusses Latvia’s introduction of a State Defence Service in response to the new security situation and geopolitical reality following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The State Military Service requires all men born after January 1, 2004, to participate, with citizens who are men and have reached the age of 18 being obligated to serve. Men up to the age of 27 are subject to the State Defence Service, with several groups exempt. The service may be filled in one of three ways and requires citizens to take a soldier’s oath and acquire theoretical and practical knowledge and skills as determined by the Cabinet of Ministers. However, almost half of the Latvian population does not support the introduction of such a service, and an initiative has been put forward for the service to be made voluntary. The supporters of this initiative argue that the Ministry of Defence should increase the prestige of the service and offer more attractive conditions to motivate volunteers to apply for service, leading to higher motivation among those serving.
Introduction
Since Russia’s brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we are living in a new geopolitical reality and security situation. It is possible to provide full-fledged national defence only if Latvia develops all defence capabilities as a whole, which includes both weapon systems and a numerous and militarily prepared part of society. The introduction of the State Defence Service is Latvia’s answer to the new security situation in our region because it is evident from the experience of Ukraine that without a morally stable and prepared society it is impossible to face an aggressor. On Wednesday, April 5, 2023, the Parliament adopted the State Defence Service Law in the third – final – reading, determining it is being introduced in Latvia. Read about what the national defence service provides and what is the attitude of Latvian society towards the upcoming service in this Political briefing.
State Military Service
The State Military Service (SMS) will be introduced in Latvia this summer, and it will require men born after January 1, 2004, to participate. Citizens who are men and have reached the age of 18 will be subject to the defence service as a priority. If they are still pursuing basic or secondary education, they will be obligated to serve within one year after completing their studies or no later than when they turn 24 years old. Men up to the age of 27 will be subject to SMS if there are no grounds for postponing their service. However, those who are pursuing higher education can also be drafted up to the age of 27, as long as their employers or educational institutions exempt them from their job duties or exams during their service. While citizens with fewer social obligations are expected to be called for service first, both men and women between the ages of 18 and 27 can apply for the service voluntarily. If needed, citizens aged between 18 and 19 years of age will be drafted by sending a decision on conscription to their e-address or declared place of residence.
Several groups will be exempt from the State Military Service. A citizen who does not meet the health requirements set by the National Defence Service, a citizen who is obliged by law or court ruling to take care of their spouse or parents, those who have served in foreign military service, officials of specific institutions who have continuously served for at least two years, citizens punished for a serious crime, convicted, and acquitted, or who are parents, guardians, or foster parents of a child with a disability are also exempt among others.
The State Defence Service will be fulfilled in one of the following ways:
- 11 months in a regular force or National Guard unit of the National Armed Forces,
- five years in the National Guard as a whole, performing service tasks for no less than 21 days of individual training and no more than 7 days of collective training each year,
- within five years, studying the reserve officer program intended for university and college students in a military educational institution and a unit of the National Armed Forces, the total time of training and service assignments is not less than 180 days.
The way in which a citizen performs the military service of the national defence is determined considering the priorities set by the National Armed Forces and the provision of personnel necessary for the performance of the tasks set by the National Armed Forces. A citizen performs military services in the status of a serviceman. When starting service, a citizen takes a soldier’s oath. Military service ranks are also awarded to soldiers.
The Cabinet of Ministers determines the set of theoretical and practical knowledge and skills to be acquired during national defence military service.
Stance of Society
When the Ministry of Defence announced in the summer of 2022 that it was starting work on the gradual introduction of the mandatory State Defence Service in Latvia, “Kantar TNS” revealed that almost half of the population did not support the establishment of such a service in Latvia (Figure 1).
Figure 1.
Two-fifths or 42% of the population of Latvia aged between 18 and 60 have stated that they personally support the gradual creation of a compulsory State Defence Service in Latvia from 2023. On the other hand, almost half, or 48%, of the population have indicated that they do not support it in general. The tenth part, or 10% of the population, did not have a specific opinion on this issue.
The compulsory military service has been a topic of discussion since the idea was published. After intensive public discourse, an initiative was posted on the website “ManaBalss” on 7 October 2022 to make the military service voluntary. Over 12 thousand people who signed the initiative do not support the idea of compulsory service because it imposes a duty on citizens that disproportionately restricts their freedom. Instead, they suggest that the Ministry of Defence should raise the prestige of the service and offer more attractive conditions such as competitive compensation and favourable terms. This way, more volunteers will apply for the service, and it will strengthen national security more effectively than compulsory service. Moreover, a voluntary service will lead to a higher motivation among those serving, and young people will respect a country that does not impose service on them. Therefore, some people suggest that Latvia should delete the clause on compulsory military service and make the service voluntary to respect freedom and preserve the choice for Latvian youth.
On November 2022, the Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee held a preliminary examination of the initiative in the parliament. Unfortunately, the commission decided not to push the initiative on a voluntary National Defence Service further.
While the deputies had started the Parliament session on April 5, in which the final reading supported the establishment of the State Defence Service, the informal initiative of the citizens’ group “Rīko!” organised a protest against the service. At the organized picket, the activists had gathered in front of the Parliament to stand against the “compulsory conscription” envisaged by the bill.
Picketers were holding posters with the message “We are not slaves for 300€ a month”, “Young people will not serve, young people will emigrate”. The picketers demanded to cancel the introduction of “mandatory conscription” in order to make Latvia a country that young people themselves want to defend. For example, directing those funds to prevent medical emergencies.
Conclusions
Although a couple of years ago the need for national defence services would seem ridiculous and exaggerated, as the geopolitical situation worsens in 2022, there is a great need for every citizen to acquire basic knowledge and understanding of national defence, to improve individual capabilities, as well as to participate in strengthening national defence – exactly what the national defence service will provide. Now that the bill has finally been passed, there are a number of pre-identified risks that will have to be dealt with. First of all, very big problems could be caused by the low discipline of young people, which will certainly be exacerbated by the low support of young people for military service. This, in turn, has the potential to create a very negative social environment in which mobbing can spread. Also, discipline will be negatively affected by the low salary, set at 300 euros per month. Low discipline, as well as failures in the implementation of compulsory service, have the potential to create discontent among the public and young people who serve, which can lead to increasing political pressure. Despite this, the mobilization started in Russia is a direct risk to the security of the Baltic States, so compulsory military training is necessary. In order for the training to be successful, the implementers of the military service must make sure that the servicemen stay in a safe and modern social environment for 11 months.
References
- Redakcija, L. Z. (2023, April 5). Obligātais aizsardzības dienests Latvijā būs. Pirmais iesaukums – jūlijā brīvprātīgi. LSM.LV. https://www.lsm.lv/raksts/zinas/latvija/05.04.2023-obligatais-aizsardzibas-dienests-latvija-bus-pirmais-iesaukums-julija-brivpratigi.a503748/
- PAR BRĪVPRĀTĪGU VALSTS AIZSARDZĪBAS DIENESTU. (2022). ManaBalss.lv – Līdzdalības Platforma. https://manabalss.lv/par-brivpratigu-valsts-aizsardzibas-dienestu/show
- TV3 (2022, July 18). Aptauja: 48% iedzīvotāju neatbalsta obligātā Valsts aizsardzības dienesta ieviešanu. tv3.lv. https://zinas.tv3.lv/aptaujas/aptauja-48-iedzivotaju-neatbalsta-obligata-valsts-aizsardzibas-dienesta-ieviesanu/
- Saeima apstiprina Valsts aizsardzības dienesta likumu. (2023). Aizsardzības Ministrija. https://www.mod.gov.lv/lv/zinas/saeima-apstiprina-valsts-aizsardzibas-dienesta-likumu
- Valsts aizsardzības dienests. (n.d.). Aizsardzības Ministrija. https://www.mod.gov.lv/lv/valsts-aizsardzibas-dienests
- Redakcija, L. Z. (2023, April 5). Kamēr deputāti lemj par aizsardzības dienesta ieviešanu, pie Saeimas piketē pret «obligāto karaklausību». LSM.LV. https://www.lsm.lv/raksts/zinas/latvija/05.04.2023-kamer-deputati-lemj-par-aizsardzibas-dienesta-ieviesanu-pie-saeimas-pikete-pret-obligato-karaklausibu.a503802/?utm_source=lsm&utm_medium=article-body&utm_campaign=admin