Latvia plans border guard service for 100 recruits a year

Latvia plans to enrol 100 young people a year in an 11-month national defence service with the State Border Guard from 2028, LSM reported. The recruits will serve in Latgale, in eastern Latvia.

The service is intended to build an additional trained personnel reserve alongside the armed forces, strengthen security on the country’s external border and expand young people’s involvement in national defence. State Border Guard Chief Guntis Pujāts said the plan would complement, not compete with, the armed forces.

Training will begin with one month of basic military instruction at a National Armed Forces base, followed by three months at the State Border Guard College in Rēzekne. For the rest of the 11-month service, recruits will take part in border protection along the eastern border.

State Border Guard Deputy Chief Juris Martukāns said recruits would gain practical experience in border surveillance and be trained to carry out their duties. They will receive the same social benefits as national defence service conscripts in the armed forces.

After completing the service, recruits will be discharged and enrolled in the State Border Guard’s active service. Infrastructure improvements, including the construction of barracks, will be needed to train them.