The amendments provide that in the event of general and partial mobilization, citizens of the European Union (EU), European Free Trade Association and NATO Member States, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, or Ukraine may volunteer for military service in the Latvian National Armed Forces.
At present, foreigners cannot be accepted for military service in crisis situations. However, the Ukrainian experience shows that nationals of other countries can also fight effectively in the armed forces, the Ministry of Defense has pointed out.
There are certain requirements for a foreigner to be accepted for service. A foreigner must not be a staff member or in various other ways linked to a foreign security service, intelligence service, or counter-intelligence service. The admission of a foreigner to the Latvian army must be in the interests of national security. The foreigner must also not have served in the armed forces or security services of the USSR. The foreigner must have a command of the national language or at least one of NATO's official languages - English or French - as well as a number of other conditions.
The changes to the law also aim to improve conditions for prospective Latvian soldiers, including by removing the minimum five-year contract period and delegating to the Minister of Defense the responsibility for setting these periods.
Until now, before starting training at a military education institution or in a unit of the National Armed Forces, a contract is concluded with the soldier, which stipulates that after the completion of the training course, a minimum contractual period of not less than five years is mandatory. The changes are necessary to ensure greater flexibility in the conclusion of professional service contracts and to encourage soldiers to serve until the end of their first contract, Latvian army representatives told MPs earlier.
The amendments to the law also require senior and senior instructors to be able to speak at least one of NATO's official languages at an appropriate level. Currently, this requirement is only imposed on soldiers applying for the rank of officer.
