Kasčiūnas urges focus on defence capabilities, not spending percentages

Former defence minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas says Lithuania should assess its defence budget by the capabilities it will deliver, not just its share of GDP. LRT reported Thursday that the opposition conservative leader made the remarks as the government plans to allocate 5% of GDP to defence next year.

Kasčiūnas told BNS that it was time to consider what military capabilities the investment would create. He said the planned spending’s impact was not yet clear and hoped the main priorities would be developing Lithuania’s national division and expanding air defence.

Kasčiūnas warned that Lithuania could fail to have a division with full operational capability by 2030, saying the country was already behind schedule. He said the next budget should show whether efforts to develop the division would accelerate.

He also said air defence was a priority discussed with the prime minister. A planned investment of about 500 million euros in layered air defence, starting in autumn 2025, would protect only certain corridors and military units, he said, not critical infrastructure, cities or residents. Kasčiūnas said the budget figures did not appear to indicate a breakthrough in air defence.

Lithuania plans to allocate 4.8 billion euros to defence next year, BNS reported. That is 36 million euros more than this year, but the defence budget’s share of GDP is expected to fall from 5.38% to 5% in 2027 as the economy grows.