Lithuania joins NATO-led procurement coalition to strengthen defence industry

Lithuania has joined a NATO-led initiative to establish procurement coalitions aimed at bolstering national defence industries and enhancing multilateral cooperation in joint acquisitions, the country’s Ministry of National Defence announced on Thursday.

The intention protocol, signed during a NATO leaders’ meeting in Ankara, commits participating states to reinforcing the resilience, agility, and security of defence supply chains. It also seeks to accelerate the procurement and deployment of critical military capabilities while improving interoperability among national defence systems.

According to the ministry, closer collaboration will enable more efficient use of resources, increase the effectiveness of defence procurement, and ensure faster delivery of necessary capabilities to armed forces. The agreement includes plans to form specific capability procurement coalitions using NATO’s Request for Proposals Aggregation and Distribution (REPEAD) process, which will help coordinate multilateral acquisitions aligned with NATO defence planning objectives and promote the expansion of defence industrial production capacities.

The protocol also outlines efforts to harmonise public procurement methods, creating a more flexible environment for the defence industry, fostering long-term investments, and shortening the timeline from contract signing to production delivery.

Additionally, the participating countries agreed to enhance the interoperability of national defence industrial systems, share long-term capability planning information, and explore ways to integrate joint commitments into national budgets and public procurement systems.

The ministry expects that stronger cooperation will improve access to key defence capabilities, reinforce collective security, and contribute to the long-term strengthening of Europe’s and NATO’s defence industrial base.

In a related development, Lithuania and ten other NATO allies plan to procure up to ten Saab GlobalEye aircraft, equipped with the Initial Alliance Future Surveillance and Control capability.

This report is based on information from BNS.