Kaunas says defence procurement procedures are too slow, considers amending laws

Acting Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas has stated that defence procurement procedures in Lithuania are too slow and that amendments to relevant laws are being considered, LRT reports.

“We want faster procurement procedures, which, as of today, do not satisfy me personally as minister,” Kaunas told Žinių Radijas on Thursday. He emphasised the need to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation to reduce unnecessary coordination in some cases.

“We will likely need some legislative changes, which we are working on,” the minister said. He noted, however, that some issues have already been resolved, citing a recent Seimas decision to raise the threshold for defence procurement contracts subject to industrial cooperation requirements from €5 million to €20 million.

Supporters of the change argue that raising the threshold will limit industrial cooperation to strategically important projects where it can create real long-term added value for the country’s defence and security industry. This would eliminate the need to justify industrial cooperation for every contract exceeding €5 million, thereby speeding up procurement processes.

Industrial cooperation in defence procurement involves agreements where suppliers of military equipment involve local industry, for example by transferring parts of production, technology, or technical maintenance work.

Kaunas also addressed the upcoming delivery of drone interceptor prototypes, expected in late summer or autumn. He stated that these will first be tested, and larger quantities will be ordered only after training troops to use them.

“For us, this is a prototype, and for the army, it is a prototype because we do not use such equipment. We need to train our soldiers to use it,” Kaunas said. He cited the example of the Merops interceptor, which he has seen in action against Shahed drones, but noted that Lithuanian troops have not yet used such systems.

“Therefore, we must purchase a test batch, train our soldiers, and only then will larger quantities appear in procurement planning documents,” he added.

Kaunas also highlighted efforts to strengthen detection capabilities, including the deployment of radars by the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ engineering battalion to enable faster relocation to necessary locations.