Lithuania proposes maintaining defense spending above 5% of GDP beyond 2030

Lithuania’s State Audit Office has proposed enshrining in strategic documents a commitment to allocate more than 5% of GDP to defense beyond 2030, LRT reports.

State Controller Irena Segalovičienė said current national strategy lacks clarity on long-term defense funding. Audits show that maintaining current security levels—let alone expanding or modernizing capabilities—will require sustained financing at current levels after 2030.

“This is why we propose clearly stating in the National Security Strategy, now under parliamentary review, that defense funding above 5% of GDP should continue beyond 2030, at least until 2035,” Segalovičienė told Žinių Radijas.

Last year, Lithuania’s State Defense Council decided to allocate 5–6% of GDP to defense between 2026 and 2030 to develop a national division, acquire new equipment, and prepare for the deployment of a German brigade.

Deputy Defense Minister Karolis Aleksa supported the proposal, warning that reducing funding after 2030 would risk undermining current investments. “Cutting it to 3% would essentially destroy what we’ve built. We must recognize the consequences and avoid that,” he said.

NATO members, under U.S. pressure and facing heightened threats from Russia, have pledged to increase defense budgets to 5% of GDP by 2035, with 3.5% dedicated to core defense needs and 1.5% to other security-related spending, such as dual-use infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Lithuania has allocated 5.38% of GDP (around €4.8 billion) to defense in this year’s budget.