Bergmanis: National Defence Studies Needs More Class Hours

Bergmanis, a member of Latvia's Saeima (parliament), says the scope of national defence studies (VAM) in Latvian schools is too small and should be raised to at least 140 hours. He spoke at the presentation of a Saeima Analytical Service study titled "Public Willingness to Defend the Country in Case of Military Threats in the Baltic States and Finland".

According to the lawmaker, the originally discussed volume of VAM was 144 hours, but a compromise cut it to 112. Having reviewed the situation, he said, it is now clear there is not enough time to teach the subject fully.

The will to defend the country

Bergmanis stressed that national defence is not only a matter of the armed forces, the defence budget or military capabilities. It begins with public conviction that Latvia is a value worth defending. He pointed to Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, which he said has shown the importance of society's will to resist, its unity and its readiness to act in practice.

The Analytical Service study found that in autumn 2025, 37% of Latvian residents were willing to fight for their country, compared with 64% in Finland. The deputy noted that Finland has been building its defence system since the end of the Winter War, while Latvia began developing a comprehensive national defence system eight years ago. In his view, the figures raise the question of what the state has done to strengthen this willingness.

Bergmanis also said defence should not be reduced to military involvement alone: people can help in line with their knowledge, profession and abilities. The will to defend the country, he argued, must be built today — in schools, families and communities.

The current state of the course

This week, representatives of the State Defence Youth Centre (Jaunsardzes centrs) told a subcommittee of the Saeima's Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee that 35,836 students are taking VAM this school year. Of these, 16,737 are in the first stage, 16,723 in the second, and 2,379 in the distance-learning programme e-VAM. The programme runs in 271 educational institutions, with 330 youth guard instructors providing the teaching.

The Centre said education standards may need amending to add hours for civic engagement and action in crisis situations, as well as broader drone and first-aid training. A proposal calls for raising VAM from 112 to 140 hours starting in the 2028/2029 school year.