Lithuania reconstitutes the 1st Mechanised Division of the Armed Forces, which is to be equipped with modern weapons
Lithuania has officially re-established the 1st Mechanised Division of the Armed Forces, which succeeded the unit formed in 1775, the Lithuanian Defence Ministry has announced.
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The Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, General Raimundas Vaikšnoras, said that the creation of the division is a qualitative leap in the development of the Lithuanian army and is aimed at expanding the country's defence capabilities.
The division will consist of the Lithuanian Army's reserve brigades Iron Wolf, Žemaitios and Aukštaitios, as well as air defence, engineering, reconnaissance and artillery units. Brigadier General Aurelius Alasauskas has been appointed as the division's commander.
The new division headquarters will start operating this year and is expected to be completed by 2030.
A ceremony to mark the re-establishment of the division. Illustration: Lithuanian Ministry of Defence
The decision to develop NATO's national divisions as a core tactical unit was made at the Alliance's Madrid Summit in 2022 and approved in Lithuania in May 2023.
The division will be armed with modern Western-made military equipment, including PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery systems, Leopard 2 tanks and CV90 infantry fighting vehicles.
Earlier it was reported that Lithuania plans to increase defence spending to 5-6% of GDP in 2026-2030 to accelerate the deployment of the mechanised division. The Lithuanian president stressed that without increased funding for national defence, the unit will not be combat-ready by 2036-2040, so spending should reach 5.5% of GDP annually in the specified period.
Source: Ministry of Defence