Eleven young women also applied for the service. Two of them decided to start their career in the professional army, whereas the others were rejected due to health or other conditions.
488 Latvian citizens volunteered for the first draft of the State Defense Service and 254 young people started the service on July 1.
Rozenbaums said that during the first weeks, the young people got familiar with the service and the military base in Ādaži.
He said that, after talks with these young people, it could be concluded that their motivation for applying for service was to acquire new knowledge, which may be useful not only in a crisis situation but also in everyday life, but for some, it is a step to see if they will choose professional service.
Applications are currently underway for the second draft which will start on January 1, planned to consist of 120 people. If a sufficient number of young people have not applied until July 15, random selection will take place.
