Lithuania promotes voluntary military service with improved conditions, while other European nations debate mandatory service amid defense needs.
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Lithuanian military representatives plan to continue their successful recruitment strategy, expecting the number of young volunteers to increase. Since 2023, the military has run an intensive campaign targeting students in grades 11 and 12, informing them about citizenship, patriotism, the armed forces, and the importance of mandatory service for national defense, while encouraging them to choose voluntary service. The Ministry of National Defense has improved conditions for young people, increasing monthly allowances for those in mandatory service and offering higher savings for those who choose to be called up. Furthermore, service completion offers better career prospects, and those attending higher education receive a 0.5 bonus point. The military is also improving equipment and training facilities, including modern tactical transport. While Lithuania was an early adopter of mandatory service among EU countries, other nations have different approaches; for instance, Finland requires service for men aged 18 to 60 and offers different durations based on roles, and Greece has extended mandatory service to 12 months and included women. Mandatory military service remains a contentious political issue across Europe, with some countries having abolished it long ago, while others, like Serbia, are considering reinstating elements of it. Public support for mandatory service is growing in some nations following the war in Ukraine, but it is not universally embraced.
