Lithuania Incesases Defence Funding

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On March 17 the Lithuanian Seimas unanimously approved a proposal to increase this year’s national defence funding to 2.52 percent of GDP. The 2022 budget amendment, allocating 298 million euros in additional funding for national defence, was passed unanimously. The amendment allows the state to borrow funds for its NATO membership commitments, ensuring defence allocations at 2.52 percent of GDP. It has yet to be signed into law by President Gitanas Nausėda. The current budget allocates just over 1.2 billion euros, or 2.05 percent of GDP, to the Defence Ministry.

The Defence Ministry indicated that about 257.6 million euros of the additional funds will be spent on acquisition of necessary armaments, equipment, and ammunition for the Lithuanian Armed Forces, while the rest will go towards hosting NATO troops in Lithuania. According to Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas, 158.5 million euros will be spent on armaments, 66.8 million euros on the purchase of ammunition, 10.7 million euros on cyber-security, and 21.6 million euros on other things, such as bullet-proof vests, communication equipment, medical supplies, and others.

After the NATO defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels on March 16, Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas said NATO forces in Lithuania, including air defence, will be strengthened.  He did not elaborate on the specific plans for the Alliance’s eastern flank but said that it will be a completely new phase in the strengthening of NATO forces, adding that concrete decisions will be taken at the NATO Summit in Madrid in June. The Spanish forces arriving in Lithuania on April 1 to carry out the Baltic Air Policing Mission will be larger in size, and the mission itself will be different than before.

The Lithuanian defence ministry  reported that at the meeting it was agreed “to strengthen the eastern part of the Alliance by deploying more NATO forces, reinforcing the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence battalions and improving their readiness, as well as by strengthening air and missile defence, and increasing the number of large-scale military exercises.”

According to Anušauskas, however, the Alliance still refuses to declare Ukraine’s airspace a no-fly zone, adding that NATO countries will continue to support Ukraine on a bilateral basis.

Fears about security in the region have also led allies to send more forces to Lithuania and other eastern flank countries. LRT.lt