A total of 42,556 people aged 17 to 22 were included in the list, compiled at the Ministry of National Defence ministry under independent supervision using computer software, officials said.
“Seventeen-year-olds will only be called up once they turn 18, while those whose service was postponed due to studies under previous legislation will be conscripted after graduation and before the age of 26,” Arūnas Balčiūnas, head of the Military Conscription and Recruitment Service, told a press conference held in the ministry.
The first conscripts are set to begin their service on 9 February, according to Arūnas Balčiūnas.
They will be assigned to the General Romualdas Giedraitis Artillery Battalion in Rukla and the Grand Duchess Birutė Uhlan Battalion in Alytus, he said.
Minister of National Defence Robertas Kaunas said civic awareness was rising, with more young people volunteering for service.
“Over the past few days, more than 3,000 people have volunteered. We plan to invite nearly 5,000,” he told reporters, adding that medical checks would reduce the final number.
Kaunas said that after accounting for volunteers, medical screenings and changes in order, only seven compulsory conscripts were ultimately called up last year, a trend he predicts to continue.
He did not rule out abandoning compulsory conscription in the future if voluntary numbers remain sufficient, calling it “a possibility, though only an assumption for now”.
Lithuania aims to build a reserve force of around 50,000 active reservists by 2030, while gradually increasing annual intake across professional, voluntary and other forms of service, the minister said.
Around 5,000 people are expected to be called up this year under updated conscription rules. Of those, about 3,800 will serve nine months, while 90 specialists will serve three months. Some 650 will join junior officer training programmes, and another 450 will undergo basic or specialised training lasting up to three years.
New regulations that took effect in January lowered the conscription age to 18–22 from the previous 18–23 and require young people to be called up immediately after finishing school. Those found fit for service after medical checks at age 17 cannot enrol in higher education until completing their military duty.
Last year, nearly 3,900 men were conscripted from a pool of about 25,100.