The 11-month draft will be implemented in the Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the Land Forces, the military base “Ādaži,” where soldiers of the first VAD draft are stationed at the moment.
Latvian citizens are invited to volunteer by December 1, 2023, on the single recruitment platform in the www.klustikaravirs.lv section “State Defense Service”.
In order to prepare Latvian citizens for the performance of State protection tasks, a mandatory protection service has been established in the country. The first conscription was voluntary – Latvian citizens aged 18-27 could apply until May 15 of this year. 488 Latvian citizens volunteered for the first conscription of the State Defense Service, and 254 young people started the service on July 1.
Meanwhile, 224 Latvian citizens volunteered for the second conscription, which will begin in January 2024, and the Ministry of Defense decided not to carry out mandatory conscription at random.
From January 1, 2024, the service has been designated as mandatory. Compulsory conscription will give priority to men aged 18 to 19.
