Latvia gets ready to sign up 400 professional soldiers
- By defencematters
The Latvian ArmedForces will sign contracts with 400 professional soldiers this year
The Latvian Armed Forces will sign contracts with 400 professional soldiers this year - which is almost a hundred more than provided in the Armed Forces' original plan that was recently amended, LETA learned from the Defense Ministry.
95 soldiers will enroll at the National Defense Academy. 162 soldiers will join the Land Force's Infantry Brigade, 45 - the Special Tasks Unit, 35 - the Staff Battalion, ten - the Naval Forces Flotilla units, and another eight - Air Force units. The Armed Forces will also sign contracts with ten new instructors and 35 expert soldiers who will serve in specialized units.
Enrolment at the Defense Academy has already begun and will continue until July 31.
Last year, 351 soldiers joined the professional military service, and 815 citizens of Latvia, including 653 younger than 35, joined the Home Guard.The Armed Forces remind us that, already since 1991, any citizen of Latvia can learn military skills by joining the Home Guard, and calls on citizens older than 18 to do so. Last year, 294 professional soldiers left the Armed Forces. 672 Home Guard members left the organization or were expelled, including 185 who retired.
At the moment, the Armed Forces are comprised of approximately 4,700 soldiers and 8,000 Home Guard members. 16 percent of professional soldiers are women.
Published: 07.04.2015 by Gatis Kristovskis, LETA
