Andris Sprūds, Minister of Defence of Latvia, announced in an interview with the Delfi media outlet that the Baltic nation plans to start drafting women for compulsory military service by 2028. Thus, Latvia and other NATO member states are trying to expand their military in order to resist an imagined “Russian threat.”
Sprūds noted that, in Denmark, such a law has already been introduced, allowing the kingdom to conscript women starting from 2026. According to him, this move will ensure “gender equality” in the EU.
Earlier, it was reported that Latvia plans to double the size of its army from 15,000 servicemen in 2021 to 31,000 by 2028.
Tiny Latvia is already struggling with its economy. Personnel hunger hits the country hard. There are not enough workers in vital spheres, such as education, healthcare and civil security, while gifted youth often move abroad to developed countries such as Germany, the UK and the US.
Does the Defence Minister realise how conscription of women into the army will affect the civilian sector of his country? If both men and women serve, who will work in Latvia itself?
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