Lithuania’s State Defence Council agreed to introduce universal conscription for eligible young men from 2032, with annual call-ups expected to rise to about 7,500 as the country prepares for longer-term security needs.
President Gitanas Nausėda said Thursday the projected intake accounts for demographic conditions and the number of young people likely to meet health requirements. Women would remain able to volunteer, he said.
The annual total is now more than 5,000. Nausėda said the larger system would require the military to expand accommodation and build up its instructor corps before the new policy begins. He estimated about 350 additional instructors would be needed; training them takes three to four years. Preparing for universal conscription could cost about €120 million, he said.
Nausėda cited Russia as a long-term threat. He said the 2032 timeline would give Lithuania time to prepare facilities and instructors while balancing conscript training with reservist training.
The council also agreed to broaden service options. Conscripts could train as drone operators or help the State Border Guard Service and fire-and-rescue services; these were proposed options, not confirmed assignments.
Lithuania brought compulsory military service back in 2015. The Seimas, the country’s parliament, cited a changed geopolitical environment, national-security threats and the need to strengthen defense capabilities when it restored the requirement.
