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Roundup: Conscription restored to strengthen Lithuanian army

Xinhua, March 20, 2015 Adjust font size:

Lithuania will start drafting young conscripts to the military service this fall after the country's parliament backed the bill temporarily restoring military conscription on Tuesday.

The law was approved without long discussions in an urgent procedure at the Seimas, the Lithuanian Parliament, with 112 members of the Parliament voting in favor of the restoration, three voting against and five abstaining.

The results were followed by applause at the Seimas' sitting hall, reports news website vz.lt.

SECURITY THREATS

The law was proposed by the State Defense Council headed by the Lithuanian President and the Government. Security authorities based the decision on changing security situation in the region and poor manning of Lithuanian army. Juozas Olekas, minister of National Defense, said the law will allow the army to fill the units - some of them manned only at 13 percent - and form the reserve.

According to the bill, this year the total number of professional troops, conscripts, volunteers and soldiers from the active reserve will range from 16,840 to 21,960 compared to the current range of 14,340 to 18,460. Around 3,000 to 3,500 conscripts will be drafted to the mandatory nine-month military service every year.

"I think these numbers are sufficient in this situation," Olekas told journalists after the voting.

The first drafts will be conducted in August-September. The Defense Ministry reassured the conscription will be based on volunteers.

"Only if a sufficient number of volunteers does not turn out, the draft will be conducted on a mandatory basis from the military draftee record for the current year," said the Ministry in a press release published after the voting.

The first to be drafted are citizens of the ages from 19 to 25, but men and women will be allowed to join the service voluntarily till the age of 38.

Conscription which was abolished in 2008 is restored for a five-year period.

SOCIAL CONDITIONS

The Seimas also ordered the government to prepare the social packet to conscripts. Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius thinks conscripts must be rewarded more in order to motivate the youth to join the military service. According to Butkevicius, he ordered to prepare documentation on increasing the pay.

"Now it's only 38 euros. We have suggested - maybe it is possible to add 200 euros," he told journalists.

Currently, a private soldier in Lithuanian army is paid around 600 euros and a captain is paid 1,000 euros a month.

Olekas revealed the Defense Ministry is already having discussions with enterprise and academic representatives on the issues that conscription may raise. Endit