Lithuania faces bureaucratic hurdles in accelerating air defence upgrades

Lithuania’s defence ministry is struggling with procurement delays and red tape as it races to strengthen the country’s air defence capabilities, particularly against drone threats, LRT reports. The issue gained urgency after another drone crashed in Utena district over the weekend, with local residents—not authorities—first reporting the incident.

President Gitanas Nausėda summoned Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas for talks, criticising the slow pace of acquiring air defence systems. “The speed of procurement does not satisfy us—and, as I understand, it doesn’t satisfy the military either,” said presidential advisor Deividas Matulionis. He noted that while Lithuania is exploring closer cooperation with Ukraine, which has extensive experience in drone warfare, bureaucratic obstacles persist.

Last year, after Poland faced mass drone attacks, Warsaw fast-tracked the adoption of the US-made Merops system—a combination of radars and intercept drones—following successful tests in Ukraine. Lithuanian military observers attended the trials, and Vilnius later decided to purchase the system. However, public procurement rules initially blocked the deal until the government granted an exemption.

Biurocracy vs. urgency

Kaunas acknowledged that while transparency in defence spending is necessary, some procurement regulations risk prioritising procedure over operational needs. “Transparency cannot come at the cost of speed,” he said, adding that legislative amendments are being prepared to streamline exemptions for critical defence purchases. Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has already signalled support for faster approvals.

Business leaders have also criticised the procurement process. Vidmantas Janulevičius, president of the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists, argued that local manufacturers face unnecessary scrutiny, while defence agencies often opt for simpler foreign purchases. “Our budget requires 35% local added value in defence contracts, but agencies struggle to work with businesses. There’s this assumption of corruption lurking—yet when they buy abroad, everything’s fine. Meanwhile, we’re sending our money overseas,” he said.

New systems “weeks away”

Kaunas confirmed that some new radars, capable of monitoring additional airspace layers, have arrived in Lithuania but are not yet operational. The systems require automation—sensors and radars must identify objects, classify them, and trigger responses—while integration with interception tools is still underway. “This is brand-new equipment our military hasn’t used before. It takes time,” he explained.

Opposition lawmakers, however, are losing patience. Dainius Gaižauskas of the LVŽS-KŠS faction urged Kaunas to leverage NATO partnerships immediately: “The defence minister shouldn’t be wandering trade shows—he should be begging NATO leaders to deploy air defence assets to our borders *now*, because drones are flying here, and they’ll keep flying.”

Kaunas countered that Lithuania already has access to allied capabilities but must develop its own infrastructure. “All options are on the table,” he said.