Lithuania could introduce universal conscription by 2030, minister says

Lithuania could introduce universal conscription from 2030, but the move would carry risks, Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said, according to LRT. He said his ministry would outline those risks for decision-makers, who would make the final decision.

The State Defence Council is due to discuss a possible shift to universal conscription on Thursday. Opposition conservatives proposed earlier this week that the model be introduced in 2030.

Kaunas said Lithuania was already moving gradually towards conscripting all young men by increasing the number called up. He also pointed to a shrinking pool of eligible young people as birth rates fall.

The minister said he broadly supported universal conscription, but did not publicly specify the risks. He said the system would strengthen Lithuania’s armed defence and help educate the public on how to act in a crisis. More than 5,300 young people are due to be called up this year.

Minister urges against pitting security services against the military

Kaunas also urged politicians not to set the military against internal security services such as police and border guards, which are seeking more funding in next year’s state budget.

Some politicians backing additional funds for internal security have pointed to NATO targets that allow 3.5% of gross domestic product to go to core defence and 1.5% to defence-related needs. Kaunas said he understood the requests from police, firefighters and border guards, but argued that the additional funding should not come at the expense of the armed forces.

He said the military had been inadequately funded for many years and that Lithuania needed to rebuild its military strength. He also said the military and internal security services worked well together.

The state budget proposal presented to parliament last week provides for a roughly 7.5% pay rise for statutory officers, with an additional 45.3 million euros allocated for the increase. Officers’ unions say the amount is insufficient. Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas said this week that his ministry was seeking an additional 124 million euros for public security.

Ruling Farmers and Greens Union representative Dainius Gaižauskas said the missing funds for officers could come from the defence budget. Lithuania plans to allocate about 4.8 billion euros, or 5% of GDP, to defence next year.