VILNIUS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania's defence ministry does not rule out compulsory military service for all men in their 19's as of 2024, however, significant additional state's funding is needed in order to achieve this goal, Raimundas Karoblis, the country's minister of defence, said on Wednesday.
"General military service is not just a subject of a defence but a project oriented at state-level changes," Karoblis was quoted as saying in a statement published by the ministry.
The minister introduced a feasibility report on general military service in Lithuania at parliamentary National security and defence committee on Wednesday.
"It should serve as a basis and encouragement for further political and society's debates," Karoblis said.
According to the calculations by the ministry, in order to introduce general military service for all 19-year-old men in Lithuania as of 2024, 105 million euros are needed from the state's budget every year during preparation period.
In the case when compulsory military service were also introduced for all young women of the same age, the expenses would increase to 280 million euros every year, the ministry said. However, this scenario would only be possible as of 2026, it noted.
The largest part of investments would be needed for new military infrastructure as the currently existing is not customized to additionally receive several thousands of military servants every year, Karoblis noted.
More than 6,000 young men would be called to serve in Lithuanian armed forces every year if general military service was introduced. Together with women, the figure of conscripts would amount to 12,000.
Partial compulsory military service was reintroduced in Lithuania in 2015 due to changed geopolitical situation and insufficient manning of the units of the Lithuanian armed forces.
Some 3,500-4,000 Lithuanian citizens of conscript aged between 19 and 26 for a period of nine months are enlisted each year, most of them do the service on a voluntary basis, the ministry of defence stated.
