Lithuanian Conscription: What's The Policy For Mandatory Military Service?

What is Lithuania’s policy on conscription and mandatory military service? Let’s look at this in today’s video!
Resources and source links:
www.karys.lt/en/military-serv...
www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english...
www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english...
www.ohchr.org/sites/default/f...
Need to check if you've been drafted? sauktiniai.karys.lt
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[@tomtex9664]

I still don't get why we train only men. If we are training our country to fight, why only train half of it? Why are men supposed to give up 9months of their life regardless of their own will?

[@asvalias]

In society men are fighters and providers while women are those who takes care for family. It's been like that for so long that with what we call 'equal rights' still you can't deny the fact that men and women aren't the same and probably never will. And should not tbh

[@Edvinas97]

@@asvalias couldn't said better myself 👍

[@Waristheonlyanswer]

Because if you take an average woman and compare her to an average male , the male will always come out on top because of how they are more built for psychical work which grunt work consist of. There are numerous study done by the army and it always show that women will always be weaker( some exception might be but 1-3/1000 dont justify the cost). Women in the army can mainly be responsible for administrative, logistical, medical(in bases) and in limited capacity as drone controllers / cyber warfare specialist and similar roles that are not directly boots on the ground type. But even if we take all of that it would amount to a very small number and considerable number of those roles demand specialized additional training which at least for conscripts would be too long and costly. Maybe in the future where our medicine will evolve far enough that we can supply special vitamins and drugs (without considerable damage) which could long term augment/ bring out the psychical capacity of women towards the same level as men or we simply stop giving a fuck and let them die (maybe because we have too many of them) but in the drugs situation it would still most likely would make the men even stronger unless it only worked for women... Soviets did use women, but it was more out of desperation and or morale boosters, because letting women do the boots on the ground part brings all kind of problems apart from their innate psychical weakness. That being how they cope under stress and duress, different approach to strategic and tactical combat, and don't forget our decades favorite words violence and rape against women( because when they torture men or rarely rape them it wouldn't be a big problem) But if that happens to the women soldiers, oh boy the shitstorm in the media and the blame game... I think most of you can imagine what bullshit would fallow with special operations to save them or exchange them( waste of precious resources). Thank you for anyone that bothered to read my rant, and I hope I wrote something that at least shined a bit of light why men are still practically the main ones who will always die in the war as soldiers...

[@Edvinas97]

@@Waristheonlyanswer interesting! And i agree with you, that women react differently in stressful situation, usually emotions play bigger role than on average man ( not saying there isnt emotional men)

[@danielskrauklis1994]

because by training man you will get higher return on investment. its not rocket science.

[@240pixel]

I did volunteer for my service in Lithuanian armed forces back in 2015-2016 It wasn't bad at all. Now I serve in US Army since I moved to USA. Love your channel. Makes me miss the place.

[@LithuaniaExplained]

Cool! Thank you for your service! I also appreciate all of your comments and engagement with the channel even in its earlier days 😃

[@kristjanoja5397]

Estonian here, where conscription is mandatory. Served 11 months, I was glad to do my time and still don't regret it. I did my time on the other side of Estonia, which I did pick myself and did see lot's of different people i wouldn't otherwise see and that gave me huge amount of bigger view how guys from rural areas see things. It was like a other world in a good way, since I'm from city. Or let's say I'm not a guy would prefer to sit down in bar location x and have a chatter😀. Really like outdoors, and loved forest exercises. Good thing for yourself is how far can push mentally and physically. I do understand guys who see their time to spend for something else, but then again, it's government paid worthy experience. I do have friends who did avoid to get listed and I do have friends who would serve, but have permanent injury which could get more severe doing more than usual physical. And what gave me personally "why is it important", is defence investment to society. You would consider twice as an enemy if there are more bushes which can make you into Swiss cheese. Yes conscription isn't cheep, you better be prepared when the 🐻 hits the fan. Or I like Japanese proverb: Better to be warrior in garden, than a gardner in war.

[@arturask4466]

Tell that to women.

[@legendario-leyenda2121]

Is Chinese not Japanese

[@soleypas]

I did my service for 16 months (I had 6 months reduction because of my study). It wasn't a nice place to be. Tough environment and no respect, lots of jealousy because of my rank. All we did was to practice marching and to be in harmony. I should say it was waisted!

[@jovydaskniuipys3898]

At first it was hard, realy hard. But when i went to my unit, my batalion, got used to it... i loved it. Plenty of food, good commanders and i still miss shooting range

[@lukassvolka9541]

I would do it if the pay wasn't so shit... I'm not gonna throw away 9 months of my life for 3000 euro lol

[@FinalLugiaGuardian]

You can still go to a shooting range as a civilian.

[@Aitvarasspecialiujuoperacijupa]

food maybe isn’t bad but the portions are wayy too small. But yeah the mandatory service is pretty chill.

[@theend7296]

Great vid keep it up

[@mininudoalem7950]

I'm Brazilian, here conscription is mandatory and all men must serve, in reality most people are discharged as the army has multiple times more conscripts than they can incorporate. I was called for general selection next month, I hope I am discharged so I can continue my studies

[@Dah42]

Were you discharged?

[@mininudoalem7950]

@@Dah42 Yes, I told the army doctor I had been accepted into university, he asked if I have any medical issues. I mentioned about my double-jointed elbows and knees, and he wrote me a note saying I was unfit for service. But not before making me show my abnormally flexible joints to all his superiors hahahahahhaha

[@edvinasd]

Im a lithunian living in Germany at the moment, I have to do my military service after my apprenticship ends 😐

[@dkurbis3089]

Speedrun getting german passport

[@edvinasd]

@@dkurbis3089 im still thinking about it 😅

[@gedog77]

It’s nine months and it’s “vivid experiences”. If it didn’t impact on your wider life would you ‘do it for the adventure?’

[@streetcomedyffm]

Same for me :) but I have a German passport too, so I will probably just drop the Lithuanian, when I am 18…

[@ree2453]

nera ten taip jau blogai :) pats atlikau tarnyba pries 2 metus. Patys pirmieji saukimai kokiais 2015-6 buvo sudetingesni tokie, dabar viskas moderneja, iskaitant ir pacia mastysena kariuomeneje. Zinoma priklauso i kokia kuopa, koki buri papulsi. As buvau Dragunu batalione, tai fizinio kruvio netruko, bet visi praejom, net tie, kurie vos atsispaudima viena pradzioj padarydavo. Yra tam tikru igudziu ir disciplinos dalyku, kuriuos teigiamai panaudotum veliau asmeniniame gyvenime.

[@josephkrizauskas1052]

9 months? You can do that in the blink of an eye. I joined the U.S. Navy right out of high school and served 6 years. It paid for my college and I learned valuable skills for getting ahead in the workforce afterward.

[@windlink1236]

Cool. 6 years seems like a lot. Have you thought about continuing your service instead of work or it was just a stage of your life?

[@josephkrizauskas1052]

@@windlink1236 I did in the reserve. I served another 24 years part time and then retired.

[@windlink1236]

@@josephkrizauskas1052 Respect. Personally I honor people who served in US military. Thanks for your service.

[@BlackoScorpio]

We do not need to pay for colledge, it's mostly free

[@3d141]

@@BlackoScorpio no lol

[@danrook5757]

I volunteered in Canada during university, I was a reserve

[@dakihoang]

Hi! My boyfriend he lived in Ireland since he was 5 years old and he went back to Lithuania for holiday and now they ask him to do the medical check for the military. But he has hypertension and has to follow doctor’s prescription. Is there any chance that he wont have to go to the military? Thank you so much 😊

[@Asbestos_]

If he has lithuanian citizenship, then he must accept all responsibilities that come with having it. Now the good news for you is that if he's medically unfit, he can be excused.

[@dakihoang]

@@Asbestos_ Hi! Thank you so much for your reply. He went to the check up and he paid a fine for 15€ and they said he can go home. On the document it said the papers didn’t arrive by 2021 and he didnt show up by that time also. And that is it! Does it mean he won’t have to go to the military?

[@Asbestos_]

@@dakihoang I do not know for sure. What I do know is that there's a chance they'll just go away. Now if your boyfriend goes on the official lithuanian army website, he would see that in theory, they're supposed to drag him from anywhere straight into the bootcamp with a fine to go along with it, if he refuses to go. HOWEVER, in practice their conscription numbers usually meet their annual requirements so they don't need to do that. I've known a guy who never showed up and got bailed our by volunteers. Don't rely solely on my words, as I do not see your entire situation

[@akalion213]

@@Asbestos_ Going on the website means nothing. If you accept the letter or go to the station the process is on and you can't just dodge anymore.

[@akalion213]

@@dakihoang His first mistake was opening the letter and his second mistake was not dragging out the check up for as long as possible. If he passed the health screening and gets drafted there's not much he can do.

[@gustas1096]

Question here - I moved away from Lithuania when I was 4-5 and still have got a Lithuanian passport, will I be forced to do military service?

[@Vv-cq6cx]

Most likely, yes, yes you will

[@paskalokaa1052]

No man you can apply for foreign status and you don’t have to. Personally, I’d recommend you not to go to the army even if they called you. Don’t let them enslave you

[@baconoverflow4384]

I got drafted a few years ago. I lived abroad and asked my parents to reject the letters they were constantly sending and nothing ever happened. Going into the military would’ve completely killed the business I’d been building. And I’m not sure if I’m even allowed to serve in the LT army given I’m also a US citizen…

[@akalion213]

Nothing's gonna happen even in the country. As long as you don't accept the letters or show up to the station they can't do anything.

[@nope7819]

You might not see this but did you not get any final letter or reprimands for not attending or informing them in any way? I got drafted this year and I live abroad so I'm not sure what to do

[@baconoverflow4384]

@@nope7819 I see ya 😉 No, no final letter or reprimands. They wouldn't have had a way of getting in touch with me anyway. I did feel paranoid when going through immigration expecting them to say something... but that paranoia is what defines my relationship with LT border control given I lived semi-illegally in LT when I was a teenager (I'm 100% Lithuanian but only had a US passport at the time, they did give me LT citizenship in the end just before I turned 18, had to prove that I'm eligible to be a dual citizen which took ages...)

[@nope7819]

@baconoverflow4384 I don't want to be going back to Lithuania to visit family and get surrounded by police cars at the border 🤣 but thank you for answering my question and I hope your business is thriving.

[@baconoverflow4384]

@@nope7819 I feel for you man! They should have an exemption for people who've declared that they live abroad. It was only for a year that I was on the list for. Even though I was still eligible to be conscripted by virtue of age, I wasn't on the list anymore the following year... Anyway, you could always just fly into Riga and take the bus ;)

[@pootis4986]

why not conscript women

[@FinalLugiaGuardian]

They should conscript women. Israel does. Sweeden does. Norway does. Equal vote. Equal responsibility.

[@vytgains]

Men are stronger

[@FinalLugiaGuardian]

@vytisdeletus69 Generally speaking yes, but if a woman is 6 feet tall and is composed of 180 lbs of muscle, she should not be able to vote for war and also be exempt from military service when a 5 foot 5 inch 130 lb man is not.

[@paskalokaa1052]

@@FinalLugiaGuardianexactly

[@evermoredany]

@@FinalLugiaGuardianthey shouldn’t conscript anyone

[@lukasrozenas9526]

I fully object to the lithuanian Military service, I am a Lithuanian Expat in the UK and I find it abhorent that I cannot even get a covid vaccination from Lithuania but for some reason, I'm supposed to serve in it's military?!?! I have lived in the UK for all of my life and recieved no benefits from Lithuania. Not to mention that I have been stopped at Kaunas airport when I was a student and ended up being mistreated because I was on the List when I was not even aware that a List exists

[@tdestroyer1882]

What about your a citizen living abroad but don’t speak Lithuanian?

[@jueviolekushiru9913]

I heard you join a non lithuanian speaking unit (in Vilnuis) I think. That's the only reason I'm even considering joining after uni 😂

[@MrTomasMaliauka]

Anything that is compulsory or forced by government to the citizens of the state is not in the mood of free state philosofy. I understand the need of stronger military power of my state, but still it is better well prepared, motivated, voluntary solgers, then forced pacifistic citizen with the gun as a meat for enemy artilery and missles. We see from this russian - ukrainian war, that ordinary, unprepared, unmotivated people with guns in their hands does not do much as military power. Lithuania needs more equipment, amunitions, missles, drones, inteligence and not more meat. Lithuania is too small in terms of quantity of lithuanians, in my opinion, Lithuania can not loose many people in a war, or we can die out. This is why Lithuania, after declaring independance, firstly chose to have a profecional military. Why our government changed the law without asking citizens in referendum? Referendums are mandatory for all principal changes in the Lithuania as it is written in our Constitution. I am voting for a professional military with very good equipment and very good funding. It could be 3% - 5% of Lithuanian GDP.

[@paskalokaa1052]

Exactly. I don’t really see a point in forcing young male with pacifist views, maybe even low testosterone level, someone who has completely different interest and desires to serve in the military and loose 10 months of their life knowing damn well that they wouldn’t fight in case or war anyway

[@zulithern]

Latvia be like: I'm I in the wrong world?

[@IonDragonRivenEUW]

Randomised system, yeah sure. 24, living in UK for 14 years, drafted 3 years in a row. I don't think so :)

[@user-ji4fx9cm6t]

Why society is not practicing gender equality and why women are not protesting?

[@Asbestos_]

Boo hoo, girls will not be there to hold my hand, wah wah wah

[@danrook5757]

My cousins daughter was in the reserves, after Ukraine was invaded, she went for training with live ammo, she quit that same weekend. Serious stuff.

[@Nzzxyy]

17/02/2024, just found out ive been conscripted... sheeeet

[@SloveLDK]

Nebijok, armijoje ne taip blogai kaip manai.

[@samonaprid7782]

Unfortunately, compulsory military service was abolished in Croatia in 2008, I hope it will be reinstated soon, greetings from Croatia

[@samonaprid7782]

@@nandopassante6888 it will

[@samonaprid7782]

@@nandopassante6888 it will ;)

[@samonaprid7782]

@@nandopassante6888 your nightmare will soon become reality lazy student no worker ;)

[@MantasDoesVideos]

Its not a good thing why do you wana force people that dont wana go, All your gana get is a unmotivated depressed and weak soldier.

[@FinalLugiaGuardian]

As long as BOTH men and women are included in the draft.

[@WendigoTheBot]

i just got the notice, im sorry to say but im not going, this is 9 months of not making money. this is trash as i love money

[@Strikerkong]

if i were conscripted then that would be a recipe for betrayal.

[@exvasCS]

the conscription is a good thing glad to see it

[@nyctophylos]

its not

[@The_Daily_Tomato]

@@nyctophylos I'd rather be made to serve for a few years if it meant that foreign troops wouldn't be marching through my streets. But maybe that's just me ;)

[@baconoverflow4384]

@@The_Daily_Tomato The US has one of the strongest armies in the world and doesn’t have mandatory military service. Good compensation would solve this.

[@Waristheonlyanswer]

@@baconoverflow4384 The US has billions of dollars to spend on fancy toys and weapons which for small countries like Lithuania are impossible to imitate. And this mandatory conscription is more as a stopgap measure to ready a reserve for resistance incase of invasion like in Ukraine. Add to the fact that most of the guys they take don't really have that much to do either way. Just because they will stop working in their big sale center, grocery stores or similar low paying jobs and serve 9 months will not damage them.

[@exvasCS]

@@nandopassante6888 no women don’t do as well in the military as men

[@arturask4466]

Dodged it, left Lithuania and never coming back. I am not a second class citizen, and I have not duty to serve while women aren't made to.

[@Asbestos_]

Ot koks didis vyras, bijo tarnybos, nes matot merginos su juo neis ir nepalaikys jo už rankelės...

[@Asbestos_]

@@yourmommashouse996 labai džiaugiuosi, kad toks besmegenis, kaip tu, sėdi amerikoj, tarp savų, o ne gadina mūsų gene pool ir balsuoja už antivalstybininkus. Mums tavęs irgi nereikia

[@dovydaspaplauskas1678]

@@Asbestos_ some people have different wants and needs. It is not right for men to be forced into service. I am 16 and have never lived in Lithuania, I barely even know the language and I am going to be forced into the army into a practically foreign land? I want to go to university to practice computer science. The army is completely in the opposite direction

[@Asbestos_]

@@dovydaspaplauskas1678 nobody's forcing you to go if you don't have a lithuanian citizenship. Unless you do, in which case, you must accept all responsibilities that come with it's possession. Same goes for any other country in the world.

[@sleepylovesu431]

@@Asbestos_ hey amigo I have a lithuanian passport but I barely speak the language, thinking about stalling my third year in uni for this draft - are we gonna be fighting in ukraine or somethkng? I.e seeing active combat

[@bananaodin4236]

bouta dodge this shit

[@ThugPear]

fax

[@drlukas4242]

Not returning to Lithuania until I am over maximum age.

[@Asbestos_]

Such shame and irresponsibility

[@bananaodin4236]

@@Asbestos_ Haven't lived in Lithuania since I was 3, why should I serve there? kekw

[@Asbestos_]

@@bananaodin4236 if you have a lithuanian passport/citizenship, then you must accept all the responsibilities related to it's possession. If you don't have it, then it doesn't count as dodging