– The current military system in Latvia has reached its limit. At the same time, we have no reason to believe that Russia will change its behavior, says Minister of Defense Artis Pabriks at a press conference on Tuesday.
Conscription was abolished a few years after Latvia joined the NATO defense alliance. Since 2007, the country’s military has instead consisted of professional soldiers and a voluntary home guard.
Latvia, which borders both Belarus and Russia, currently has only 7,500 active troops.
According to Pabriks, conscription will be reintroduced next year and it applies to men. There will be many different options for carrying out their duties.