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On 28 May 2025, the Embassy of Latvia in Finland hosted a discussion titled “Women in Armed Forces – Experiences and the Way Forward”. The event was organised by the Embassy of Latvia in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS).
The discussion aimed to enhance Latvia’s visibility and share the country’s expertise on women’s participation in international politics and security. Latvia ranks among the leaders in the EU regarding women’s representation in senior positions across politics, science, and public administration, while the Latvian Armed Forces maintain one of the highest rates of female personnel in NATO. Latvia is also actively engaged in the UN Women, Peace, and Security agenda, which promotes gender equality and combats sexual violence in armed conflicts, supporting women’s active role in peace and resilience processes.
The discussion featured experts from Latvia and Finland: Colonel Antoņina Bļodone, Commander of the Staff Battalion of the Latvian National Armed Forces; Major Anne Lamminen, Head Instructor for Leadership at the Department of Leadership and Military Pedagogy, Finnish National Defence University. The event was moderated by Sigita Struberga, Chairperson of the NGO “Women for Security,” Secretary General of the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation, and researcher and lecturer at the University of Latvia.
The conversation covered a broad range of topics including personal career stories and motivations for joining the military, as well as wider issues such as women’s representation in various military roles, participation of women in modern military operations, women’s role and lessons learned from international military missions. Compulsory versus voluntary military service for women was compared and a discussion was held on the importance of mentorship for career development and on the necessary institutional reform.
Participants highlighted the fact that women constitute 18% of the Latvian armed forces personnel, one of the highest shares within NATO. In Finland, women make up 4.7% of its Defence Forces, a figure that has shown positive growth in recent years.
The discussion gathered Finnish journalists, experts, researchers, diplomats, representatives of the Finnish National Defence University, and military attachés.
The event was held within the framework of the public diplomacy programme supporting Latvia’s candidacy campaign for membership of the UN Security Council. Latvia is standing as a first-time candidate for an elected member’s seat and its campaign runs under the motto of “Together for peace and resilience”. Membership of the UNSC will be a key instrument in pursuit and protection of Latvia’s foreign policy interests and enable Latvia to expand its international cooperation, thereby contributing to world peace and resilience.