The summer call-up that took place in Estonia this week saw 1,671 young men and five young women enter the conscript ranks of the defense forces, with a quarter of the young men turning up as volunteers.
Quarter of new conscripts in Estonia are volunteers
5th July 2013, 14:11
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«The most faraway place that a person came from to go through conscript service is Canada. There are also people who came from Britain and Sweden,» Kairi Rikko, director general of the Defense Resources Agency, told BNS.
Of the young men who entered conscript service in the year's biggest call-up 98.3 percent have secondary or higher education. Most of the conscripts who start their service in July will be trained as squad leaders or reserve platoon commanders in the course of 11 months.
Of the young men called up for compulsory military service in the July draft 71 or 4 percent did not turn up.
In the next draft in October more than 1,300 conscripts are due to start service in the Estonian defense forces.