Recruits entering State Defence Service (VAD) will be evaluated by general practitioners. Troops will have access to «additional bonuses». However, attempts to dodge the draft may be punished with up to a three-year prison sentence, according to VAD reform prepared by Latvian Ministry of Defence.
The ministry has submitted the report to the Ministry of Finances, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Welfare, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Health. According to this report, in five years it is planned to adopt a comprehensive conscription system to process all men aged 18 and older and determine their fitness for military service. It is planned to conscript men aged 18 to 27 years in Latvia.
VAD will include three forms of military service – National Armed Forces, National Guard, military training for high school students, and alternative service.
To ensure the registration and conscription of citizens into military service, it is planned to create a new state institution with regional offices under the Ministry of Defence, but until the institution is able to commence operations it will answer to National Armed Forces.
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As for medical checks of conscripts, it is planned to create a system that will include criteria and will allow general practitioners make decisions regarding the state of conscripts’ health and their fitness for military service. The medical commission of the Ministry of Defence may deal with rejections related to the state of health of potential conscripts.
The ministry estimates conscripting up to 6 000 VAD troops to undergo military service in the National Armed Forces in 2028. In addition, 1 200 conscripts would serve in the National Guard and up to 300 in special military service for students. Citizens who are unable to undergo active service due to their political or religious beliefs will be allowed to undergo alternative service.
The Ministry of Defence has outlined three categories of people who would not be conscripted. First those are citizens who are completely unfit for VAD, for medical reasons or prior criminal record. Secondly those are citizens who have another country’s citizenship or who have served in another country’s military or alternative service. Thirdly those are graduates of Col. O. Kalpaks Vocational High School.
Service in National Armed Forces provides for VAD conscripts to undergo eleven-months long military service in the first portion of their service and perform duties in units of National Armed Forces.
VAD troops will be provided with living space in barracks. During field exercises troops will reside in tents. Each VAD will receive appropriate rations or compensation, uniforms and necessary inventory.
VAD troops undergoing military service in National Armed Forces will be paid EUR 300 a month. After the end of their service, they will be paid a compensation for leave of absence, which is currently estimated at EUR 1 100. The planned compensation amount may be reviewed based on the economic situation in the country.
VAD troops will be provided with social insurance as well.
The other form of alternative service is periodical service in State Police and State Fire and Rescue Service, which is similar to service in the National Guard. The State Fire and Rescue Service initially mentioned that it will be able to take on 200 to 300 conscripts for alternative service.
Currently it does not look like it will be possible to adopt alternative service earlier than 2024. Full capacity may not come sooner than 2028.
After serving in National Armed Forces, National Guard or after passing special military training for students, VAD troops will become reserve soldiers.
The report also mentions the transition period will last between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2027. Conscription will be done using quotas based on population numbers in regions and the number of men aged at least 18 years.
Then there are men born after 1 January 2003 and who turn at least 20 years as of 1 January 2023. They will not be conscripted. Instead they will be allowed to sign up voluntarily.
Considering the aforementioned, Latvia’s government plans to decide on making VAD voluntary for men and women aged 18 to 27 years starting with 2028. The transition period is planned for 2023-2027, with the first wave of conscription taking place in January 2023. The general plan is to conscript about 1 200 people in 2023 and up to 7 500 after the end of the transition period in 2028.
Provisional estimates for the costs of VAD are being compiled. The costs of different positions depend on the number of conscripts. With that in mind, the overall costs lean towards EUR 7 million to upwards of EUR 56 million (if number of conscripts reaches 7 500).
Attempts to dodge VAD by causing self-harm, forging documents or otherwise misleading officials may be punishable with a prison sentence of up to three years.
Identical sanctions are proposed for attempts to avoid alternative service.
Desertion from VAD, failure to return from leave or vacation may also be punished with prison sentence for a period of up to three years.
As for administrative violations, it is mentioned that failure to report relevant information to institutions responsible for state defence will be punishable with a warning or a fine of up to EUR 100.
Failure to arrive following an official notification from an institutions that answers to the Ministry of Defence will be punishable with a warning or a fine of up to EUR 50.
Latvians trying to dodge mandatory military service may receive three-year prison sentence
