Without its own tanks, Lithuania would only receive “secondary tasks” during the war, Lithuania’s Chief of Defence Valdemaras Rupšys has said.
“We need to have the capability to carry out the kind of operations you saw,” the general told reporters at a live-fire exercise involving US heavy military equipment in Pabradė. “Yes, we may not have that capability, some of our neighbours may not have that capability because their budgets are smaller, but then, you get a secondary task.”
“Now I ask myself, also as a citizen of Lithuania, do we really want to have a secondary task in our defence, and whether someone will go and fight for us on the frontline,” he said.
His comment came after some politicians and military observers questioned Lithuania’s decision to buy German Leopard 2 tanks.
Representatives of the national defence system say that thanks are manoeuvrable military equipment that forms the backbone of the armed forces.
Zero expertise
“In my opinion, Lithuania is capable of having a [tank] battalion that will enable the Iron Wolf brigade to operate at full capacity – not only to carry out stationary defence but to also carry out a counterattack, an attack,” Rupšys said.
According to him, Lithuania is taking a comprehensive approach to the acquisition of military weaponry, including both tanks and drones.
“Sometimes, we talk about which comes first. But we look at everything together, comprehensively,” he said.
If Lithuania agrees with the manufacturers on the acquisition of tanks as early as this year, they will be delivered to Lithuania in 2027, Rupšys noted.
“And we have until 2027 to prepare and train,” the army chief said, adding that Lithuania has “zero expertise” in the use of tanks in military operations.
“We don’t have tanks, officers, or non-commissioned officers. But we already have experience working with the eFP (NATO Enhanced Forward Presence) battalion, and with the Americans. Now, we need to get formal education, send officers and NCOs to institutions so that they are trained and can use the equipment, specifically the tanks, right away,” Rupšys said.
Lithuania is buying tanks as part of its plan to establish a division within its Armed Forces by 2030.
In late January, Lithuania’s State Defence Council agreed to purchase German Leopard 2 tanks for the planned division, and the Defence Ministry was tasked with starting talks with the German manufacturer and other countries interested in acquiring the equipment.
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