The Discourse on the Formation of Permanent Compulsory Initial Military Service in Lithuania
Volume 42, Issue 1 (2024), pp. 50–62
Pub. online: 5 March 2024
Type: Article
Open Access
Open Access
Published
5 March 2024
5 March 2024
Abstract
In liberal democracies, the aim of the national armed forces is to protect the freedom and security of society as a whole by political
and military means, which leads to the rejection of compulsory military service as an obligatory form of self-defence. However,
in the context of shifting geopolitical stability, the subject of compulsory military service is growing in importance in the political
discourse. The present paper analyses the political discourse on the formation of permanent compulsory initial military service in
Lithuania, and places a particular focus on party programmes in elections held between 1992 and 2020. The content spectrum as
regards permanent compulsory initial military service represented in the party programmes of Lithuanian political parties between
1992 and 2020 is scarce, and gives a sketchy image of the service. By communicating the risks associated with being limited to
professional military service alone, the Conservatives make more frequent attempts than others at creating a political discourse on
permanent compulsory initial military service. By contrast, other political parties focus on the circumstances associated with the
geopolitical situation.