The Ministry of Defense of Lithuania will increase the number of military personnel to 20 thousand
The Ministry of Defense of Lithuania intends to gradually increase the number of Armed Forces to 20,000 servicemen. Corresponding changes to the law “On the basic structure of the army” were made presented To the State Council, Minister of Defense Dovile Shakalene.
The project of changes provides for the expansion of the number of professional servicemen to 20,000, volunteers to 6,800, as well as the creation of new military units, in particular, tank and reconnaissance battalions.
“By reforming the structure of the Armed Forces, we aim to strengthen Lithuania’s defense capability – we are creating new units, increasing the size of the army and forming operational depth that will allow us to react more effectively both at the national level and in coordination with allies”Shakalene noted.
Currently, the Armed Forces of Lithuania numbered about 11,900 professional soldiers and about 5,400 volunteers.
We will remind that at the beginning of April 2025, the Ministry of Defense of Lithuania announced its intention to strengthen the border with Russia and Belarus by placing anti-personnel and anti-tank mines. Before that, Poland and the Baltic states announced a review of their approach to the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use of such types of weapons.
