Lithuania Claims 6% GDP Spending On Military By 2026
The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense announced through social media accounts that it plans to raise defense spending to 5-6% of annual domestic GDP starting from 2026. The decision comes after several procurement declarations, including the latest decision to obtain Leopard 2A8 Main Battle Tanks from Germany. Although small, Lithuania holds a strategic place on the map as a key member of NATO Eastern Flank.
In December 2024 Lithuanian officials announced the decision to procure 44 Leopard 2A8 MBTs amid the formation of a new highly mobile mechanized brigade. Lithuanian Armed Forces will never achieve numerical superiority against potential adversaries from Belarus and Russia, but the investment in force multiplying technologies and equipment offsets this.
Since 2022 Lithuania has fully committed itself to improving domestic defense. Although compulsory military service was reintroduced in the country in 2016, various governments have pushed for wider recognition of Lithuania’s strategic yet vulnerable position. The soft underbelly of Baltic States, however, gives a signal that it will harden with all available economic resources at hand.
Lithuania is in the process of forming a new mechanized brigade composed of three battalions that remain the bulk of local armed forces. Its main aim will be to directly respond to any threats to the country’s security and sovereignty. However, it is worth noting that in case of an open conflict, Lithuanian forces won’t be operating in a vacuum. The new mechanized brigade formation will become a piece of the greater puzzle. In case of an open armed conflict the US and Polish forces will be the first responders to the scene.
The expenditure of 6% of annual GDP may be a stretch to Lithuania’s national finances. They are already spending a substantial part of its yearly budget on arming but that cannot be compared to the costs maintained by countries such as France or Germany. Claiming to become a leader of expenditure in NATO, in this case, might not seem necessary for the challenges ahead as Vilnius will still have to rely on a collective security mechanism.