Lithuania ranks #87 of 170 militaries worldwide in 2026, with 19,850 active troops. The Lithuanian Army fields 1,259 ground vehicles; the Air Force flies 11 aircraft. Lithuania has no nuclear weapons.
| Domain | Strength | Composition |
|---|---|---|
| Air Force | 11 aircraft | 6 helicopters 1 air bases +2 on order |
| Ground Forces | 1,259 vehicles | |
| Personnel | 19,850 active | 28,000 reserve 18,400 paramilitary |
| Pillar | Weight | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manpower | 10% | 34.3 | Active, reserve & paramilitary personnel |
| Ground forces | 20% | 29.2 | ARMS inventory power: armour & artillery by type and era, attack helicopters, armament |
| Naval power | 20% | 0.0 | SEAS inventory power: hulls by type, size and era, air wing, sustainment, armament |
| Air power | 25% | 14.6 | AIRS inventory power: aircraft by type and generation, enablers, armament |
| Nuclear deterrent | 10% | 0.0 | No declared nuclear capability |
| Defense budget | 15% | 29.2 | Annual spending, purchasing-power adjusted |
| Availability | modifier | ground ×1.10 · naval ×1.00 · air ×1.20 | Budget per point of each force, from the branch indexes |
| Population | 2.9M (2024) |
| GDP | $84.9 billion (2024) |
| GDP per capita | $29,384 |
| Military budget | $3.4B (2025) |
| Share of GDP | 4.0% (2025) |
| Military spending per capita | $1,175 (2025) |
| Inflation rate | 0.72% (2024) |
| Capital | Vilnius |
| Region | Europe |
| Land area | 62,680 km² |
| Coastline | 90 km |
| Land borders | 1,273 km |
| Bordering countries | 4 |
| Currency | EUR |
Lithuania’s defense posture is defined by its location on NATO’s eastern flank, specifically its borders with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to the southwest and Belarus to the east. A primary security concern is the Suwalki Gap, the approximately 60-mile land corridor along the Lithuanian-Polish border that connects the Baltic states to other NATO members and separates Kaliningrad from Belarus.
National defense doctrine is based on the "Universal Defense" concept, which integrates military response with civil resistance and host nation support. Lithuania has been a member of NATO and the European Union since 2004. It participates in regional frameworks including the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) and the Lublin Triangle (alongside Poland and Ukraine). Strategic cooperation with Germany is a cornerstone of current policy, highlighted by the permanent stationing of the German 45th Armored Brigade ("Panzerbrigade 45 Litauen") on Lithuanian soil.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces (Lietuvos ginkluotosios pajėgos) are undergoing a transition from brigade-level operations to a divisional structure. In January 2025, the 1st Division (Pirmoji divizija) was formally established to serve as the primary command for land operations.
Lithuania maintains a force consisting of approximately 23,000 active-duty personnel, including 5,500 conscripts, supported by over 100,000 reserves and paramilitary members of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union. Conscription is mandatory for males aged 18–23.
Lithuania’s domestic defense sector specializes in electronic warfare, optics, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). While the country historically relied on imports, current policy emphasizes domestic production for ammunition and high-tech components.
In 2025, construction began on a 155mm artillery ammunition plant in Baisogala through a joint venture with German manufacturer Rheinmetall. The facility is scheduled to begin production in mid-2026 with an initial capacity of tens of thousands of rounds per year. Additionally, a memorandum of understanding was signed in late 2025 for a propellant and modular charge production facility to address supply chain bottlenecks.
Defense spending in Lithuania reached approximately 5.38% of GDP in the 2026 state budget, a record level aimed at accelerating the formation of the 1st Division and upgrading infrastructure. Procurement is focused on heavy maneuver capabilities and integrated air defense.
A primary trend is the development of the Rūdninkai and Rukla military areas to accommodate the full deployment of the German 45th Armored Brigade, which is expected to reach full operational capability by 2027. Lithuania is also implementing a "swamp defense" strategy, which involves the restoration of natural marshlands along the border to serve as counter-mobility barriers.
Procurement priorities for 2025 and 2026 include additional NASAMS units, integrated counter-UAV systems, and the initial integration of Leopard 2A8 tanks into the force structure. The military is also expanding its "State Defense Fund" to finance long-term equipment acquisitions through increased corporate taxes and defense bonds.
GlobalMilitary.net's 2026 inventory snapshot shows nine NATO members — Iceland, Luxembourg, the three Baltic states, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia and Slovenia — hold no fixed-wing fighters, attack aircraft or bombers and depend on Allied air policing.
GlobalMilitary.net's incident log counts 45 established violations of European airspace between January 1 and August 16, 2026, against 31 for the whole of 2025 - and almost all of the growth sits in incidents that ended with a shootdown or an explosion on the ground.
An Italian Eurofighter on NATO Baltic Air Policing duty destroyed an unidentified drone over eastern Latvia before dawn on 14 August, the second time the alliance's quick-reaction force has shot one down over the country this year.
Eleven NATO allies announced on July 7, 2026, the joint procurement of up to 10 Saab GlobalEye aircraft to succeed the alliance's Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS fleet, months after Boeing's E-7 Wedgetail was dropped as NATO's presumptive successor.