The Lithuanian State Defence Council (VGT) on Monday approved the proposal to create a division in the Lithuanian Armed Forces, Kęstutis Budrys, chief adviser to President Gitanas Nausėda, has said.
“After assessing the threats, the projected baseline scenario of the Russian forces’ recovery, and in line with NATO regional defence plans, VGT has decided to approve the Defence Minister’s proposal to create a division-size unit based on the Land Force,” Budrys told a press conference.
According to him, the decision to create the brigade is a national one, so there are no plans to get allies involved in the process.
However, Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas said that NATO allies promised to provide the new division with some weapons until Lithuania acquires its own.
“We have talked with our allies about the plan to create the division. Additional enablers, fire systems, anti-aircraft defence and similar [systems] are needed for the operation of the division, and allies have promised to provide these enablers until we have created our own elements,” he said.
According to the plans, the division could be formed as early as 2030.
The State Defence Council met on Monday to discuss support for Ukraine, the synchronisation of power grids with Europe, and other security issues.
Also on the agenda were the development of the structural and military units of the national defence system and the need for military training grounds and training areas.
Further reading
Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas announced plans to create a division based on the Land Force in early March.
The State Defence Council consists of the president, the prime minister, the defence minister, and the chief of defence.
Long-term project
According to Anušauskas, setting up a division would be “one of the most significant steps in the history of modern independent Lithuania towards a new quality military”.
“The creation of the division will not only ensure more efficient management and training of our Armed Forces, but also better interoperability with NATO. This is a move that is supported by our allies,” he was quoted as saying in the Defence Ministry’s press release.
In his words, the division would be a national structural element in the overall NATO military hierarchy.
“We need to start investing now in the armament of the Armed Forces’ heavy manoeuvre units, acquiring systems that we have not had until now, namely, tanks. We also need to invest in weapons and equipment for air defence, indirect fire support, military engineering, reconnaissance, and logistics to enable this ‘heavier’ force,” Anušauskas said.
According to the minister, the establishment of a national division would not be a “from scratch” project, as the division would be created on the basis of the Lithuanian Land Forces and their supporting units.
“The project of creating a division would be a long-term national project. The division would consist of the three currently existing manoeuvre units – the Iron Wolf Brigade, the Žemaitija Brigade, and the Aukštaitija Reserve Brigade – as well as supporting enablers such as the Air Force, Special Operations Forces, and other forces,” he said.
Anušauskas noted that the division would consist of about 17,500 troops. The division project would be implemented in phases. The first phase would start in 2024 and would provide the manoeuvre units with heavy weapons and equipment. The second phase would involve the acquisition of enabling weapons and equipment, which until then would be borrowed from the allies.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
