LITHUANIAN

DEFENCE SYSTEM:
Facts and Trends

2018
DETERMINATION TO DEFEND

2% OF GDP IN 2018 and further increase of defence expenditures

Intensive MODERNISATION of the Lithuanian Armed Forces (infantry

fighting vehicles, self-propelled howitzers, surface to air missile systems)

Number of MILITARY PERSONNEL in 2017: + 43% increase since 2014

Lithuania reconstituted CONSCRIPTION in 2015

Most modern URBAN WARFARE training facility in the Baltic region

1st among Allies to conduct large scale PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN

ABOUT PROPAGANDA.

CYBER SECURITY REFORM, consolidating all national cyber

responsibilities under leadership of the Ministry of National Defence

2
Budget
RAPID GROWTH OF DEFENCE EXPENDITURES

2,1
2,0 2,0
1200,0
1,8 - 2,0
1000,0
1,5 - 1,6
800,0
1,1
- 1,2
600,0 0.9 891,4 952,3 1011,7
0.8
- 0,8
400,0 574,6 723,8

200,0 267,3 321,8 424,9 - 0,4

+20%

+26%
+35%
+32%

+23%

+6%
+7%
0,0 - 0,0
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

EUR mln
GDP %

On 17 January 2017 Lithuanian Parliament adopted
the new National Security Strategy and committed
to allocate 2% of GDP in 2018 and to steadily
increase defence expenditures further on.
On 10 September 2018 the majority of Lithuanian
parliamentary parties signed an Agreement on
the guidelines for Lithuanian defence policy and
committed to allocate at least 2,5% of GDP in
2030 to defence expenditures.

3
BREAKDOWN OF DEFENCE EXPENDITURES
IN 2018

Personnel
42%
Equipment
Operations and Maintenance
5% – Infrastructure
21% 3% – Other

29%

4
Expanding capabilities
of the Lithuanian Armed Forces
• Second Infantry Brigade “Žemaitija“ since 2017.
• Further development of Infantry Brigades by creating new units.
• Focus on greater alignment between peace-time and war-time LAF structures.

Mechanized Motorised 6 National Infantry Brigade

Infantry Infantry Defence “Aukštaitija“ from
Brigade “Iron Brigade Volunteer institutional units
Wolf“ “Žemaitija“ Force units and reserve

Peacetime

Wartime

Land Force development is a priority for Lithuania.

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NATIONAL RAPID REACTION FORCE

> Established in 2014.

> Two battalion-sized battle groups are
ready to act in 2–24 hours.

> Could be used to respond to hybrid threats in

peacetime upon the decision of the President.

> Annual large scale live exercises using

unconventional scenario with civilian
institutions.

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MAIN MODERNIZATION PROJECTS

2016–2021

}
Infantry fighting vehicle
Greater mobility, force
BOXER-VILKAS
protection and firepower
Two infantry battalions

2016–2019

}
Self-propelled
PZH2000 Howitzers Efficient fire support
One artillery battalion

2017–2020

}
Norwegian–US advanced
Robust and proven air
surface to air missile system
defence system
NASAMS

About EUR 1.7 billion planned for modernisation of

the Lithuanian Armed Forces in 2018–2023.

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INCREASING MILITARY PERSONNEL

9702 Professional
soldiers

4977 National Defence

Volunteer Force (Homeguard)

3864 Conscripts
(3900 in 2019)
Data as of July 2018

{
A pool for Closer link
Manning of A pool for
professional between
operational reserve
Conscripts service and military and
units forces
Homeguard society

The number of military personnel has grown significantly since 2009:

12 450 +43% 17 801 +13% 20 073

2014 2017 2019
Lithuania reintroduced conscription in 2015.
30% of conscripts joined the professional service in 2017.

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IMPROVEMENT OF TRAINING FACILITIES
New and modern Urban Warfare
Training Facility for national and
international combat training, first
such centre in the Baltic region,
opened 2016 in Pabradė.

}
PABRADĖ
TRAINING 85 km2 176 km2 Training of a battalion-sized
(33 mi2) (68 mi2) battle group (up to 1200 soldiers)
AREA

}
GAIŽIŪNAI
TRAINING 52 km2 125 km2
(20 mi2) (48 mi2)
Training up to battalion level
AREA

modernisation of Kazlų Rūda, Rokai and Kairiai training areas

Doubling the size of training areas.

Better training facilities for the national forces and our Allies.
Possibility to train a battalion using Multiple Integrated Laser
Engagement System (MILES).

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 Šiauliai
Port of
Klaipėda
Šiauliai Air Base Panevėžys
Klaipėda NATO Baltic Air Linkaičiai
Kairiai TA Policing Mission
since 2004

Facilities for NATO Enhanced

Forward Presence Battalion
Group since 2017 Pabradė TA
Gaižiūnai TA
Rokai TA
Kazlų Rūda TA Kaunas
Vilnius Planned facilities for NATO
Very High Readiness Joint
Task Force
European standard
gauge railway Alytus

TA training area
planned railway connection from Kaunas to Riga & Tallinn
completed section of the Rail Baltica standard gauge line
railway transfer point for military heavy equipment
planned new storage facilities

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Lithuanian Support for NATO‘s
Enhanced Forward Presence
LITHUANIA PROVIDES

Morale, Welfare and

Recreation package

Accommodation in Force
military barracks protection
or field camps

Access to and
use of training Fire
ranges/ protection
facilities

Transportation
and movement
assistance &
coordination

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12
Commitment to International Security:
PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL
OPERATIONS, TRAINING AND CAPACITY
BUILDING MISSIONS

US-led Joint Multinational

Training Group and Lithuanian
Training Operation in Ukraine
NATO Operation
KFOR in Kosovo

EU Operation Sophia NATO Training

Mission Resolute
Support in
US-led Coalition
Afghanistan
Inherent
Resolve in Iraq

EU Counter-piracy
Operation Atalanta

EU Training
EU and UN Mission in
Missions in Mali Central African
Republic

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SUPPORT TO UKRAINE
Areas of support
> Lithuania, together with the US, UK, Canada,
Poland, other allies and partners, supports
Ukraine’s defence reforms aimed at
adopting NATO standards and achieving
interoperability with NATO.
> Lithuanian Armed Forces’ military adviser has
been coordinating international assistance to
the reform of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
NCO corps since mid-2016.
> Lithuanian military advisers have been
directly involved in setting up and further
developing SOF within the Ukrainian Armed
Forces.
> The common Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian
brigade is a regional military cooperation
project and a practical instrument to support
transformation of the Ukrainian military.   > The Parliamentary mandate for 2018-2019
> Lithuanian Embassy in Ukraine has carried
14
out the role of the NATO Contact Point Em-
bassy during 2015-2018.
> Lithuanian military instructors in Ukraine are
part of the US-led Joint Multinational Training
Group and Lithuania’s Military Training
Operation, which started on 1 July 2017.
Numbers
> Lithuanian Armed Forces instructors with the US
and UK counterparts have trained 10 battalions
of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2015-2017.
> Humanitarian and other material assistance
for the Ukrainian Armed Forces has reached
close to 1.9 mln. EUR in 2014–2017.
> Lithuania provided medical rehabilitation
for 181 wounded Ukrainian soldiers during
2014–2017.
has authorised deployment of up to 60 Lithu-
anian instructors to Ukraine at any given time.
Enhancing Society Resilience
GROWING IMPORTANCE OF
THE LITHUANIAN RIFLEMEN’S UNION
Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union is a paramilitary
organisation promoting patriotic education and
civil resistance.

Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union’s budget has grown more than

2,7 times from 2014 to 2018.

Number of riflemen has increased +45% from

2013 to March 2018.

Closer cooperation in training with National Defence

Volunteer Force (Homeguard).

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 0
10
70

30

20
50

40
60
90

80
100
supports the presence of
NATO troops in Lithuania
(Data as of December 2017)

81%
trusts the Lithuanian Armed Forces
(Data as of December 2017)

16
66%
STRONG PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR

supports membership in NATO

(Data as of December 2017)

83%
THE LITHUANIAN ARMED FORCES AND NATO
INFORMATION AND AWARENESS
RAISING CAMPAIGN

Since 2014 the Ministry of National Defence has

published 3 manuals for citizens on what actions
to take in case of an emergency and in war-time
situations.

English language version can be found online:

http://kam.lt/download/51276/ka%20turime%20
zinoti%20en.pdf

17
Cooperation with NGO’s:
20 NGO’s initiatives related to patriotic
education and defence have been partially
financed by the Ministry of National
Defence in 2017.
18
Recognising Propaganda and
Information Warfare:
More than 280 events and presentations for
NGO’s, state and municipality officials, schools &
universities, business representatives in 2017
STRENGTHENING CYBER SECURITY

Ministry of National
Defence is the only
government institution
responsible for cyber
security since 2018.

National Cyber Security

CYBER 0
01 01
Centre, responsible for the
0 national cyber security
SECURITY policy implementation,
established in 2015.

Law on Cyber Security

entered into force in 2015.

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> Monitoring system is installed
on critical governmental networks,
energy & transport sectors.

PREVENTION

RESPONSE DETECTION

> Since 2018 Cyber Security Centre
also functions as National Computer
Security Incident Response Team
(CSIRT).
> Second national cyber security
exercise in 2017 – more than 200
representatives from 50 private and
public institutions, and academia.
During 2017, more than 450
malware cases were detected
and neutralized in governmental
networks and critical information
infrastructure.

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FIND MORE

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/LRKAM

Twitter https://twitter.com/Lithuanian_MoD

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/KrastoApsauga

http://kam.lt/en

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2018
© Ministry of
National Defence
of the Republic of Lithuania

Design by Raimonda Namikaitė ISBN 978-609-412-114-2

Photography: Ieva Budzeikaite, Arnas Glazauskas, Alfredas
Pliadis. Photographs are also taken from the archives of the
Ministry of National Defence and Special Operations Forces.
Illustration (p. 18) by Vladimiras Beresniovas
The bibliographic information about the publication
is available in the National Bibliographic Data Bank
(NBDB) of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of
Lithuania.