Latvia Defence: Citizens Ready to Serve, But Need Guidance

A system is needed to enable Latvian residents to participate in national defence in non-military ways, said Ieva Bērziņa, leading researcher at the Latvian National Defence Academy, on Friday at a Saeima conference marking the 35th anniversary of the January 1991 Barricades, titled “The January 1991 Barricades as an Expression of People’s Resistance to a Totalitarian Regime and Lessons for Today.” The researcher explained that in today’s context, comprehensive national defence is a defence concept that prepares in advance and integrates the actions of all responsible institutions and services, commercial and non-governmental organisations, and individuals to prevent any type of crisis, including resistance to military aggression. Bērziņa outlined that comprehensive national defence has two main pillars – the military component and the civilian component – which must function in an integrated manner. She also referred to surveys conducted by the research centre SKDS on Latvian society’s readiness to defend the country militarily in the event of a military invasion. These show that such readiness stands at around 30% of the population. “We are not the worst in this respect, but in Finland this figure is over 70% for various reasons,” Bērziņa said. At the same time, she noted that readiness to defend the state in non-military ways in Latvian society is around 60%. “Thus, the will [to defend the country] is actually greater – people simply need to be offered ways in which they can get involved,” Bērziņa said. She explained that there is a need to think about a system through which Latvian residents could engage in non-military national defence. Such a system must be established in advance and designed for the long term, Bērziņa stressed. As examples, she mentioned various organisations – including women’s movements, pilots, sailors, dog training clubs, and others. Bērziņa noted that it is necessary to offer such a system so that people can build mutual connections and networks. Read also: Cartels seen by all, but no longer provable? Supreme court ruling shakes established practice