Military Service
The contemporary Lithuanian Armed Forces is a motivated military capability ready to defend their homeland, successfully contributing to multinational operations and rendering assistance to the people of Lithuania in case of emergencies. A person is the fundamental priority in the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Military personnel serving in the Lithuanian Armed Forces have excellent service and lodging conditions, great attention is paid to their healthcare and medical care. Lithuanian military have the opportunities of improving their qualification, acquiring new knowledge, positive and useful experience.
Types of service in the Lithuanian Armed Forces
Conscript service
Facing the shifts in geopolitical situation and seeking to reinforce Lithuania's defence capabilities, as well as to man units of the Lithuanian Armed Forces fully and to increase the numbers of reserve, the Parliament of Lithuania (Seimas) adopted decision to reintroduce the compulsory military service in Spring 2015. The decision to reintroduce conscript service was determined by two main reasons: changed geopolitical situation and insufficient manning of the units of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
Some 3, 500-4,000 Lithuanian citizens of conscript age (18-26) for a period of 9 months are enlisted each year. There is also a possibility to do this service on a voluntary basis - male and female citizens of Lithuania of age 18-38 years are invited to enlist for the service on a voluntary basis. Lithuania's youth are patriotic and have will to gain skills of protecting their homeland, their families if needed. Need to mention that conscript soldiers are paid monthly allowances and cumulative payment after service, which depend upon the military service performance level (excellent/good/satisfactory). Moreover, their current or new employer after service is paid 6 months' subsidy, which increases chances of finding work.
So far, from Spring 2015 when the conscription service has been reintroduced in the Lithuanian Armed Forces, vast majority of youth have chosen to perform the military service voluntarily, others are draftees who expressed their will to be conscripted on the priority basis.
Conscription procedure is carried out in accordance with the Law on Military Conscription. Based on that, Draftee list is being made up each year and it includes male Lithuanian citizens of compulsory military service eligible age (18-26). For making the list, automatic electronic selection system is used. To ensure transparency and objectivity of the process, the making the conscription list is observed by representatives of public organizations.
The Draftee list includes persons of conscription-eligible age (25,000 in 2017), who were chosen randomly by the computer program from the pool of all the potential draftees, who are fit for service (no medical reasons and no grounds for deferment). Draftee quantity was calculated according to the data and experience of earlier drafts.
After 9 month service conscripts are included in the list of prepared military reserved of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Some of them stay in the Armed Forces to pursue military career (eg. about 600 conscript soldiers after their conscript service joined the professional military service in 2017).
Junior Officer Command Training
Higher educational intuitions students and graduates are invited to enter the selection to the Junior Officer Command Training.
Junior Officer Command Training is an opportunity for the students and graduates of higher educational institutions to acquire another, officer's, qualification within three years and after their graduation from civilian educational institutions.
The graduates of the training will benefit by acquiring one more qualification and a military rank, along with that they will fulfil the duty to their homeland - the Compulsory Military Service, and will have the opportunity to join the Lithuanian Armed Forces and seek officer's career.
The training takes three years: once a week aspirants will be studying warfare theory which they will apply in approximately two-week long field training held during their summer holidays.
The Junior Officer Command Training is organised in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda.
Active reserve - service in the National Defence Volunteer Forces
Today the National Defence Volunteer Forces (NDVF) is an active segment of the Lithuanian Armed Forces reserve ready to complete a wide range of tasks. Military volunteer service is discontinuous military service compatible with civil work or studies of the volunteer soldier. Military training events for volunteer soldiers take up from approximately 20 to 50 days per year. Exercises are usually held on weekends, however, various courses and longer training events may be held during workweek as well. Volunteer soldiers receive financial reimbursements of the time spent on service (i.e. a pay for the days spent on service is given which coincides with the salary paid for professional military service soldiers of equivalent ranks or their civilian salary)and social securities are granted.
On the basis of voluntary and selective principles citizens of the Republic of Lithuania between the age of 18 and 55 can enrol into the NDVF. Contract of a volunteer service cannot span less than 3 and more than 5 years. A person who signs the contract makes an oath of allegiance to the Republic of Lithuania. The contract may be extended once it expires. While conducting the service volunteer soldiers obtain a military qualification, participate in military exercises and multinational missions.
Professional military service
Citizens of the Republic of Lithuania up to 55 years old without previous imprisonments who have completed the Conscript service or gained basic military qualification in other way, who have graduated from the Lithuanian Military Academy or serve in the NDVF are able to join the professional military service on the basis of voluntary and selective principles. Exceptions may exist for specialists in various fields.
The professional military service is joined via signing a professional military service contract.
