Lithuania Military - 2024

Military and security forces

Lithuanian Armed Forces (Lietuvos Ginkluotosios Pajegos): Land Forces (Sausumos Pajegos), Naval Forces (Karines Juru Pajegos), Air Forces (Karines Oro Pajegos), Special Operations Forces (Specialiuju Operaciju Pajegos); National Defense Volunteer Forces (Krašto Apsaugos Savanorių Pajegos or KASP); National Riflemen's Union (Lietuvos šaulių sąjunga) (2024)

note 1: the National Rifleman's Union is a civilian paramilitary organization supported by the Lithuanian Government that cooperates with the military but is not part of it; however, in a state of war, its armed formations would fall under the armed forces

note 2: the Lithuanian Police and State Border Guard Service are under the Ministry of Interior; in wartime, the State Border Guard Service becomes part of the armed forces

Military expenditures

2.8% of GDP (2023 est.)
2.5% of GDP (2022)
2% of GDP (2021)
2.1% of GDP (2020)
2% of GDP (2019) (approximately $1.7 billion)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 17,000 active-duty personnel (13,000 Army, including about 5,000 National Defense Voluntary Forces and 2,500 conscripts); 500 Navy; 1,000 Air Force; 2,500 other, including special operations forces, logistics support, training, etc) (2023)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the military's inventory is a mix of Soviet-era and more modern European and US equipment; Germany and the US have been the leading suppliers in recent years (2023)

Military service age and obligation

19-26 years of age for conscripted military service for men; 9-month service obligation; in 2015, Lithuania reinstated conscription after having converted to a professional military in 2008; 18-38 for voluntary service for men and women (2024)

note 1: Lithuania conscripts up to 4,000 males each year; conscripts are selected using an automated lottery system

note 2: as of 2020, women comprised about 12% of the military's full-time personnel

Military deployments

note: contributes about 350-550 troops to the Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine joint military brigade (LITPOLUKRBRIG), which was established in 2014; the brigade is headquartered in Poland and is comprised of an international staff, three battalions, and specialized units; units affiliated with the multinational brigade remain within the structures of the armed forces of their respective countries until the brigade is activated for participation in an international operation

Military - note

the Lithuanian Armed Forces are responsible for the defense of the country’s interests, sovereignty, and territory, fulfilling Lithuania’s commitments to NATO and European security, and contributing to UN international peacekeeping efforts; Russia is Lithuania’s primary security focus, which has only increased since the Russian seizure of Crimea in 2014 and subsequent full-scale attack on Ukraine in 2022; Lithuania has been a member of NATO since 2004 and is reliant on the Alliance as the country’s security guarantor; it is actively engaged in both NATO and EU security, as well as bilaterally with allies such as the other Baltic States, Germany, Poland, the UK, Ukraine, and the US; the Lithuanian military has participated in NATO and EU missions abroad and regularly conducts training and exercises with NATO and EU partner forces; it hosts NATO forces, is a member of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force, and contributes troops to a multinational brigade with Poland and Ukraine; Lithuania participated in its first UN peacekeeping mission in 1994

the Land Forces form the backbone of the country’s defense force; the active Land Forces comprise a mechanized infantry brigade and a motorized infantry brigade; they are supplemented by the part-time National Defense Volunteer Forces, which are organized into six district-based territorial units; since 2017, Lithuania has hosted a German-led multinational NATO ground force battlegroup as part of the Alliance’s Enhanced Forward Presence initiative

Lithuania has no combat aircraft but has a ground air defense unit, and NATO has provided air protection for Lithuania since 2004 through its Baltic Air Policing mission; NATO member countries that possess air combat capabilities voluntarily contribute to the mission on four-month rotations; NATO fighter aircraft are hosted at Lithuania’s Šiauliai Air Base; Lithuania’s Naval Forces have small patrol vessel and mine warfare squadrons; the Special Operations Forces have air, ground, and naval units for missions such as counterterrorism, direct action, hostage rescue, military assistance, and reconnaissance (2024)