Lithuanian Armed Forces

Lithuanian Armed Forces
Lietuvos ginkluotosios pajėgos
Insignia of the Lithuanian Armed Forces
Flag of the Lithuanian Armed Forces
Founded	23 November 1918 (first armed formations c. 12th century)
Current form	25 April 1990
Service branches	Land Force Air Force Naval Force Special Operations Force Volunteer Forces War time only: Riflemen's Union Public Security Service State Border Guard Service
Headquarters	Vilnius
Website	Official website
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief	President Gitanas Nausėda
Minister of National Defence	Laurynas Kasčiūnas
Chief of Defence	General Valdemaras Rupšys
Personnel
Military age	18–55
Conscription	9 months
Available for military service	890,074 males, age 16–49 (2016 est.), 875,780 females, age 16–49 (2016 est.)
Fit for military service	669,111 males, age 16–49 (2016 est.), 724,803 females, age 16–49 (2016 est.)
Reaching military age annually	20,425 males (2016 est.), 19,527 females (2016 est.)
Active personnel	23,000 (2021)[1][a] 14,150 paramilitary (2021)[2][b]
Reserve personnel	Active reserve 28,000, total reserve 104,000 (2021)[1]
Expenditures
Budget	€2.1 billion (2024)[3]
Percent of GDP	2.77% (2024)[3]
Industry
Foreign suppliers	Denmark  Finland  France  Germany  Israel  Norway  Poland  Spain  Sweden  United Kingdom  United States
Related articles
History	1918–20 Lithuanian Wars of Independence 1944–53 Lithuanian partisans 1994 Bosnian War 2001–2021 War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) 2003–2008 Invasion of Iraq 2004–Present Kosovo Force 2013–Present EUTM Mali 2013–Present Operation Atalanta 2014 Operation Sangaris 2015–present EU Navfor Med 2017–present MINUSMA
Ranks	Lithuanian military ranks

Lithuanian Armed Forces
Components
Air Force Land Forces National Defence Volunteer Forces Naval Force Special Operations Force
Administration
Ministry of National Defence
Personnel
Chief of Defence Chief of the Defence Staff Generals Military ranks and insignia
Equipment
Current equipment of the Armed Forces
History
History Timeline Recruitment
Lithuania portal
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The Lithuanian Armed Forces (Lithuanian: Lietuvos ginkluotosios pajėgos) are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Naval Force, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service (which is under the supervision of the Ministry of the Interior in peacetime) becomes part of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. A special security department handles VIP protection and communications security.

The purpose of the Lithuanian Armed Forces are to be the principal deterrent against any security threat to the nation. Lithuania's defence system is based on the concept of "total and unconditional defence" mandated by Lithuania's National Security Strategy. The goal of Lithuania's defence policy is to prepare their society for general defence and to integrate Lithuania into Western security and defence structures. The Ministry of National Defence is responsible for combat forces, search and rescue, and intelligence operations.^[4]

Male conscription is in place since 2015, when it was reinstated after being ended in 2008, due to concerns about the geopolitical environment in light of the Russo-Ukrainian War.^[5]

In early 2022, Lithuania's defence budget for 2022 was approximately €1.05 billion,^[1][c] but it was increased to €1.5 billion on 17 March 2022.^[6]