Minister of Defence Margus Tsahkna sent to a coordinating circle the regulation that enables women to participate in conscript service in any of the structural units of the Defence Forces.
Starting this summer, the new regulation allows even more women voluntarily to enter conscript service. Female conscripts will also be able to choose their service positions in any of the structural units of the Defence Forces. In the previous document their selection was restricted to two military units.
“When the opportunity arose several years ago for women to participate in conscript service on an equal basis with men, we were unable to predict the great level of interest by women towards national defence. At the same time, the Defence Forces conservatively assessed its readiness to accept women,” said Minister of Defence Tsahkna. “Today, based on a situation that is evolving and has changed, we are able to ensure women unrestricted access to the possibilities of conscript service.”
According to Minister of Defence Margus Tsahkna, the changes were necessary in order to bring the numbers prescribed in the regulation into conformity with the actual number of applications and the capabilities of the Defence Forces.
The call-up process for conscript service is long-term in nature, which is why the Minister of Defence, in accordance with the Military Service Act, prescribes limits on the number of those called-up for conscript service and the division of service positions several years in advance.
In addition to the points regarding service by women, the Minister of Defence also increased the number of those called-up to conscript service by 75, in order to restart of conscript training in the Scouts Battalion.