Lithuania plans to expand military conscription into a universal system from 2032, increasing annual recruitment by nearly 50% amid growing security threats in the region.
The country’s State Defence Council approved the timeline on Thursday, with President Gitanas Nausėda announcing an increase in annual conscription from more than 5,000 to approximately 7,500 people.
Under Lithuania’s current partial conscription system, only a selected number of men are drafted each year. Universal conscription would require all eligible young men to serve, subject to legal exemptions.
The transition is estimated to cost €100–120 million and is expected to expand Lithuania’s active military reserve from around 50,000 to 74,000 personnel by 2040.
Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said the government had sought an earlier rollout but agreed to give the military more time to prepare.
“The military has clearly stated that it will be ready by 2032,” Sinkevicius said, citing the need to train around 300 additional instructors and expand accommodation facilities for conscripts.
Lithuania reinstated partial conscription in 2015, one year after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, reversing an earlier shift towards an entirely professional military.
The planned expansion comes as Lithuania and its Baltic neighbours, alongside Poland, strengthen their military readiness amid fears of aggression from Moscow and growing concerns about Russian hybrid warfare along NATO’s eastern flank.
Lithuania has faced suspected Russian operations and repeated drone incursions, including an incident in September when NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered its airspace from Belarus.
Another suspected drone exploded over the country in October, forcing residents to seek shelter.
