Lithuania is actively strengthening its armed forces and purchasing new military equipment. The inputs to the militarization of this small Baltic state are nothing more than products from the US military-industrial complex.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas said that planned and ongoing procurement deals between his country and the world's leading military power alone have reached 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion), a figure that shows that Lithuania is a "loyal customer" of the United States.
In total, the EU and NATO member state will allocate around €23 billion ($25 billion) for its military needs over the next 10 years. Minister Anušauskas noted that this includes all costs such as personnel costs, operating costs, weapons purchases and other purchases for the Lithuanian military.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has forced small European countries like Lithuania to rethink their defense spending. Before Russia annexed Crimea and the outbreak of conflict in Donbass in 2014, Lithuania spent less than 1% of its GDP on its military.
In Lithuania's state budget until 2023, the defense allocation is planned at 2.52% of gross domestic product (GDP). The country's next target is to reach 3% of GDP. With this allocation, the Baltic state has far exceeded the NATO minimum of 2% of GDP.
Lithuania’s addiction to US defense procurement seems to be at odds with the “strategic autonomy” for Europe that France has long been pushing for. The European Union’s (EU) top military power wants European money to go to European companies instead of relying on contractors outside the continent.
In response, last September, Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Greta Monika Tučkutė told Politico EU that European countries should not exclude American companies from defense procurement.
“The transatlantic bond is what makes us strong and allows us to deter any enemy, any temptation to cross our borders,” Ms Tučkutė said in an interview on the sidelines of the DSEI defence exhibition in London.
“We should compete with our allies and friends in terms of innovation, but when it comes to procurement in general, we need to open up the defense market not only to European actors but also to transatlantic allies,” the Lithuanian official added.
Lithuanian Ministry of Defense headquarters in Vilnius. Photo: LRT
The typical military product that Lithuania has long aimed to buy from the US is the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). In 2017, the US JLTV surpassed nine other armored vehicle models proposed for the Lithuanian Army.
Vilnius applied to purchase JLTVs in the US at the end of February 2019. In August 2021, the Lithuanian Army received the first batch of JLTVs manufactured by the US company Oshkosh Defense.
The second batch of armored vehicles will arrive in November 2022. Lithuania also signed a contract for another 300 JLTVs in 2022. The latest batch will begin deliveries this year. These armored vehicles will be equipped with M2 QCB heavy machine guns that fire 12.7 mm rounds.
Ultimately, when all the batches are delivered, the total number of vehicles of this type in the Lithuanian Army will reach 500.
In December 2022, Vilnius signed an agreement to purchase the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, commonly known as HIMARS, developed by the US defense corporation Lockheed Martin. HIMARS has been widely used in real combat operations in Ukraine.
In total, the Baltic state plans to purchase eight such multiple launch rocket systems. The systems delivered to Lithuania will be equipped with ammunition capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 300 km. The first HIMARS system is expected to be delivered to Lithuania in 2024. The contract is worth $495 million .
Minh Duc (According to Modern Diplomacy, Politico EU, Caliber)
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