Lithuania is planning a massive increase in its defense spending. From next year, up to six percent of gross domestic product (GDP) is to be spent on the armed forces – a significant increase on the current share of 3.2 percent.
This means that from 2026 Lithuania will have the highest share of GDP for defense within the EU and NATO will be spent on defense. Even Poland, which has recently invested heavily in its armed forces, will lag behind Lithuania at 4.7%.
According to the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense, the additional funds will be used to strengthen the army’s “operational capabilities”. In addition, the establishment of a national division is to be made possible by 2030. The new Minister of Defense, Dovile Šakaliene, emphasized that this goal could not be achieved with the previous investments.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda underlined the ongoing threat from Russia: “The likelihood of Russian military aggression is still real, but it is not imminent.”
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Lithuania currently spends around 2.5 billion euros a year on its armed forces. These comprise around 20,000 soldiers. Compulsory military service, which lasts nine months, was reintroduced in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, Estonia’s former Prime Minister, called for higher military spending not only in Estonia, but also in the rest of the EU. “It is time to invest,” she said a few days ago in Brussels. “Many of our intelligence services warn that Russia could test the EU’s defense readiness in three to five years.”
