Latvia: Number of defence personnel should be raised to 31,000: general

Latvia should increase the number of defence personnel by at least 1.3 times to around 31,000 in view of the current geopolitical situation, Major General Imants Ziedins of the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) stated, LETA reports. He noted that such an increase would not be possible without the compulsory military service. Ziedins said that the plan was to build active backup units. In early 2022, Latvia had 6,600 troops in the NBS and more than 8,000 in the Latvian National Guard (ZS).