Overview

• Latvia's President Edgars Rinkēvičs urged European countries to adopt conscription to address increasing security concerns related to Russia.
• Latvia reinstated mandatory military service for men aged 18-27 in 2023, aiming to expand its combat-ready forces to 61,000 personnel.
• Rinkēvičs emphasized the need for Europe to increase defense spending and military capacity, describing the continent as currently 'quite weak' militarily.
• While Latvia has debated conscription for women, no legal decisions have been made on the matter so far.
• European leaders are responding to shifting U.S. security policies by reassessing their own defense commitments, with some nations already reintroducing conscription post-Cold War.