BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 26. The Seimas of the
Republic of Lithuania has approved the Ministry of National
Defense’s proposal to amend the Law on the Fundamental Structure of
the Armed Forces. The reforms are aimed at strengthening existing
military capabilities, establishing new military units, and
increasing the number of personnel within Lithuania’s defense
system, Trend
reports.
The law amendment seeks to redefine the core structure of the
Lithuanian Armed Forces by reorganizing existing permanent military
units and establishing new combat support and logistics units.
It also includes renaming certain units in accordance with the
traditions of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
“To strengthen Lithuania’s defense capabilities, we are
restructuring the armed forces, establishing new units, increasing
troop numbers, and improving service conditions,” said Minister of
National Defense Dovilė Šakalienė.
“This is necessary to ensure the First Division — the backbone
of our armed forces — reaches full operational capability and is
ready to respond effectively in times of crisis or war.”
The updated structure will support the formation of the First
Division of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, which will include three
permanent infantry brigades:
“Iron Wolf” Infantry Brigade
“Aukštaitija” Infantry Brigade
“Žemaitija” Infantry Brigade (named after Grand Hetman Jonas
Karolis Chodkevičius)
Additional supporting units will include engineering and
artillery regiments, a reconnaissance battalion, and specialized
artillery battalions named after historical military leaders.
New Units and Renaming
The amendments also provide for the creation of new units:
A Tank Battalion under the “Iron Wolf” Brigade
A Logistics Battalion under the “Aukštaitija” Brigade
Division-level support units including a Reconnaissance
Battalion, Communications Battalion, and Transportation
Battalion
Two Air Defense Battalions under the Air Defense Regiment
Multiple Rocket Launcher and Self-Propelled Artillery Battalions
under the Artillery Regiment
Additional units such as the Military Commandant Directorate and
the Garrison Support Service are also included in the revised
structure.
New names will be assigned to several military units to reflect
historical legacy, such as:
Kazimieras Semenavičius Air Defense Regiment
General Kazimieras Nestoras Sapiega
Fusilier Battalion (Naval Port & Coastal Defense Service)
Major General Jonas Sutkus Depot Service
Lieutenant General Jokūbas Jasinskis
Logistics Battalion
Personnel Growth
The legislation sets long-term goals to increase the number of
personnel in the national defense system:
Professional military personnel: up to 20,000
Volunteer soldiers: up to 6,800
Cadets: up to 600
In accordance with the increased unit sizes and operational
demands, the number of senior officers and generals will also be
increased. More reservists will be called up each year for training
and exercises.
Funding
The structural and personnel expansions will be financed through
the state budget allocations already designated to the Ministry of
National Defense. Additional acquisitions of weaponry, equipment,
ammunition, and infrastructure required for the division’s
development will be financed through supplementary state funding
allocated for this purpose.
