Latvia will continue to purchase weapons, despite the absence of military threats

MOSCOW, January 23 – RIA Novosti. Latvia sees no immediate military threat for itself, but continues to reform the military conscription and purchase of weapons in order to prepare for such a threat, Defense Minister Inara Murniece said.

“We will continue (the program) of service in the national defense, the purpose of which is both to replenish the structure of the armed forces, because there are not enough soldiers, and to create complete military reserve units. So that at X hour – I hope that he will not come, but if he suddenly comes “We had trained people, they had equipment, weapons in their warehouses, and so that everyone knew their place in the national defense system,” Murniece was quoted as saying by the LSM portal.

At the same time, she noted that so far there is no direct military threat near the borders of Latvia, however, according to military analysts, in her words, within five years, Russia can again accumulate military equipment and concentrate forces.

The Minister of Defense also noted that Latvia, together with Estonia, is going to purchase medium-range air defense systems for itself in order to ensure the country’s security, it is planned to invest about 600 million euros in the purchase of such a system within three years.

Murniece called the deployment of coastal missile systems another priority and expressed hope that the signing of contracts and joint purchases could begin in the spring.

In July, the Latvian Ministry of Defense proposed to return compulsory military service within five years, starting in 2023. If the new procedure is approved by the parliament, recruitment for the service will take place twice a year – on January 1 and July 1, the term of service will be 11 months and one month will be allocated for vacation. The plan of the Ministry of Defense provides that conscripts will be able to choose one of four types of service: service in the state defense, in the National Guard Zemessardze, courses for commanders in higher education or alternative service.