63 organisations back universal conscription in charter

LRT reported, citing ELTA, that 63 organisations signed a charter at the presidency on Thursday committing to support universal defence and public preparedness initiatives, as well as the introduction of universal conscription in Lithuania by 2030.

The signatories said Lithuania’s security and societal resilience were a shared responsibility of the state, organisations operating in the country and its citizens. They pledged to strengthen their employees’ preparedness for emergencies and hold at least one crisis management or civil protection exercise each year.

The commitments include organising first aid training and enabling employees to prepare independently for the first 72 hours of a crisis or war.

The charter describes universal conscription as a fundamental element of total defence, saying it would contribute to preparedness, deterrence, social inclusion and economic prosperity. The organisations endorsed setting 2030 as the legally established deadline for its introduction.

More than 30 state, municipal and public institutions took part in total defence exercises in Lithuania on September 7 and 8, testing their readiness for peacetime, hybrid threats and war. Tomas Godliauskas, head of the Universal Defence association, said the exercises revealed major gaps, including insufficient institutional funding and poor coordination.

Army commander Raimundas Vaikšnoras has said the armed forces are steadily preparing for universal conscription and plan to reach the projected increase in personnel by 2030, including about 8,000 conscripts. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas, however, has said Lithuania should not commit in advance to a specific implementation date, which could come earlier or later depending on objective circumstances.

A survey conducted by the Universal Defence association in August found that 76 percent of respondents supported introducing universal conscription by 2030. More than 25 percent backed implementation by that year, while 51 percent supported introducing it as soon as possible. Nearly 8 percent supported implementation after 2030, and 12 percent said Lithuania did not need universal conscription. Four percent had no opinion.