Another NATO state preparing to conscript women
Latvia is preparing to extend compulsory military service to women, aligning with other NATO members expanding their forces in response to what they describe as a Russian threat – a claim Moscow denies.
Defense Minister Andris Spruds told Delfi TV on Wednesday that his party, the Progressives, will submit a proposal next year requiring both men and women to serve in the military from 2028. He noted that female-specific equipment is already being introduced in the National Armed Forces to prepare for the change.
Currently, only men are conscripted under mandatory service Riga reintroduced in 2023, after previously scrapping the draft in 2006.
Latvia reportedly plans to more than double the size of its military to 31,000 troops by 2028, up from around 15,000 in 2021.
If adopted, Latvia would follow Denmark, which announced in March that it will begin drafting women from 2026. At the time, Copenhagen said the move would ensure “gender equality” in its armed forces and help meet NATO commitments.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Western officials have claimed that Russia could target EU states next. Earlier this year, Brussels launched a frenzied military expansion campaign, while European NATO members agreed to boost armed forces spending to 5% of GDP, citing the presumed “Russian threat.”
The Kremlin has consistently dismissed allegations of hostile intent toward Western nations as “nonsense” and fearmongering and condemned what it calls the West’s “reckless militarization.”
Moscow has also criticized Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, arguing they only serve to prolong the fighting and cause unnecessary casualties without changing the outcome of the conflict.
Last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Western European leaders were “trying to prepare Europe for war – not some hybrid war, but a real war against Russia.” He accused the EU of sliding into what he described as a “Fourth Reich,” marked by a surge in Russophobia and aggressive militarization.
