Lithuania intends to strengthen its defence capabilities

The state defense council of Lithuania proposed on Friday to increase defense spending, investments in military infrastructure and hardware, and establishment of an additional brigade of Lithuanian Land forces.
These priorities of Lithuanian armed forces development and modernizations were envisaged in a new defense conception for the years 2015-2021 approved by the council headed by Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite.
The council has proposed to the government to increase defense budget by additional 150 million euros for next year.
"The state defense council has proposed that the government should envisage an additional 150-million-euro funding when drafting next year's budget draft for the defense ministry," Valdemaras Sarapinas, national security adviser to the president, told journalists after the council's meeting.
According to a broad multiparty agreement, Lithuania's defense spending is scheduled to reach 2 percent of GDP by 2020.
Currently, Lithuania's defense spending accounts for 1.13 percent of GDP after the country increased its defense spending to 425 million euros, or by around one third compared to 2014.
If the proposal is approved by the Seimas, Lithuania's parliament, Lithuania's defense spending would reach 1.4 percent of GDP next year, reports Lithuanian business news website vz.lt.
The state defense council has also proposed to increase the number of professional soldiers by 1,000 next year. Lithuania recently has reintroduced military conscription in order to ensure proper manning. This year the total number of professional troops, conscripts, volunteers and soldiers from the active reserve will range from 16,840 to 21,960.
According to the press release from the president's office, the council proposed to the Seimas to approve the establishment of the second brigade in the land forces.
"Lithuania should be capable of defending itself independently, ensure proper hosting of allies and perform collective defense operations," said the president's office in the press release.
The council has also decided on purchases of the hardware and weaponry to the armed forces next year.
Juozas Olekas, minister of national defense, expects part of the new weaponry to be purchased this year.
"It will be infantry combat machines, we also look at strengthening artillery capabilities with howitzers and, of course, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weaponry of all modifications," Olekas told journalists after the meeting.
The state defense council headed by president of Lithuania decides on the most important state defense issues. The council has the prime minister, parliament speaker, defense minister and the army chief at its helm.