Absence of conscription poses threat to EU’s defense capabilities, says Lithuanian colonel

This view was expressed in an interview with Ukrinform by Colonel Linas Idzelis, head of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union.

“Europe needs to produce many more weapons. It needs much bigger manpower reserves. Looking at the war raging in Ukraine, Russia has probably already lost three full armies there, and of course, the Ukrainian losses are also significant. And meanwhile, there’s basically no conscription across Europe,” Idzelis emphasized.

In his opinion, this means there are no reserves to repel a second or third wave of an enemy offensive. At the same time, some countries, notably Finland, are better prepared for a potential conflict.

The colonel considers Ukraine a very good example of the revival of the defense industry.

“While Russia is pretty much trying to improve the two directions of drone production – Geran and Molnia – Ukraine is already producing a huge palette. I don’t know any other country that would produce as many kinds of different military assets as Ukraine. If we are preparing to fight Russians, the future of European defense is about integrating the Ukrainian defense industry and the Ukrainian military into the overall formation,” he believes.

According to Idzelis, Lithuania is trying to draw on Ukraine’s experience.

“Air defense is a domain where Europe indeed requires lots of improvements, and again, we’re returning to the need to boost the defense industry. Governments need to talk to defense companies. We cannot hit a 20,000 euro drone with a missile that costs up to 3 million. This way, stocks would be depleted too fast, and there would be nowhere to buy more. And I’m now talking only about the first wave of defense, let alone the second or third,” the colonel stressed.

He is convinced that even if European countries manage to mobilize enough reservists for a second wave of defense, “you still need to equip them properly, not in line with WW2 standards, which is rifles and helmets.”

“It’s 2026, and we need a different kind of solutions. Stocks of older weapons might have helped Ukraine initially, but for a small country like us, this would mean that we lose the entire nation if we don’t have a more modern army and if we fail to fight using our brains,” Idzelis claims.

As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that Europe must have the full capacity to produce all types of air defense systems and missiles for them, and called on partners to accelerate efforts to establish their own defense industry base.

The LRU provided the photos.