Lithuania has adopted a new development program for its National Defence System, identifying key measures to boost for the next six years.
The program, set to be implemented from 2024 to 2030, allocates 3 percent of gross domestic product to national defense spending. This includes building infrastructures for the German brigade, a NATO deployment of 4,800 soldiers tasked with guarding the alliance’s eastern flank.
New infrastructure for weaponry servicing and ammunition storage will also be developed, and existing military training areas will undergo expansions, including the newly-reconstructed Rūdninkai Training Grounds in southeast Lithuania.
Additionally, a national division will be established to implement total defense policies.
Protecting the Border
Lithuania’s push for a stronger defense force is partly due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, which poses security issues especially in the country’s eastern region.
The area serves as a key region in NATO’s defense strategies, functioning as a hub for the alliance’s multinational troops guarding the border.
It also features major military installations with the other Baltic states to deter military threats. Recently, Lithuania signed an agreement with Estonia and Latvia detailing the construction of defensive anti-mobility capabilities on the Russian-Belarus border.