19
May
2026
Watch
Europe's response to reduced US military deployments in Europe, particularly at its Eastern flank in the light of the latest US decisions (debate)
Madam President, dear colleagues, I serve as a volunteer in the Latvian armed forces, my wife also serves and our son has joined as well. In Latvia and in our region, this is normal. But Europe as a whole faces one problem that too many politicians avoid saying out loud: we simply do not have enough military personnel. Our 'plan A' remains NATO and Article 5 and it must stay that way. Every day we train side by side with our allies from Europe and across the Atlantic, and I hope that never changes. But the truth is that Europe simply does not have enough soldiers, enough officers, enough instructors or enough people capable of leading operations independently. Our armies are too small. Without people, there will be no European command centres, no rapid reaction units, no credible European defence union. The Baltic states, Finland, Germany and others are already showing the way. Military service must return in one form or another: conscription, voluntary systems or a randomised model like we have in Latvia. The form can differ; the principle cannot. Europe needs more people in uniform. And this is not the job of the armed forces – this is the job of politicians.