Starting the 1st of July, the number of professional service soldiers in the National Armed Forces (NBS) will be increased by 500, according to a decision made by the government on Tuesday.
This increase will allow the NBS to reach 8 000 professional soldiers already this year, enabling the Ministry of Defence to rapidly strengthen professional service units and deepen Latvia’s integration into NATO’s defense structure, said Minister of Defence Andris Sprūds (Progressives).
To accelerate the addition of these 500 positions, up to 7.7 million euros will be allocated for remuneration this year. The funding will be reallocated within the Defence Ministry’s budget between sub-programs, based on the actual number of filled positions.
Since the NBS Development Plan 2025–2036 already includes growth in staffing levels, part of these positions are included in the 2026 budget baseline. For 2026, 6.5 million euros will be needed to cover remuneration for 228 positions, which will be incorporated into the budget base.
The personnel increase is needed across the board — including officers, soldiers, and instructors.
The new positions are expected to be allocated to the Mechanized Infantry Brigade, infantry fighting vehicle crews, air defense unit formations, artillery units, as well as additional cadet positions at the National Defence Academy.
According to the State Chancellery, 432 positions will be sourced from the “vacancy pool,” and 68 new positions will be added to the overall staffing structure of the civil service.
It has already been announced that the NBS plans to expand its human resources across the professional military service, the State Defence Service, and the National Guard to a total of 38 000 personnel in peacetime.
In 2024, there were 7 103 professional soldiers serving in the NBS. Compared to 2023, this represents an increase of 400 soldiers.