BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 16. Lithuania’s new
government has opened the floodgates by raising the 2025 borrowing
limit for defense needs by 800 million euros, allowing the Ministry
of National Defense to hit the ground running with advance payments
for critically important weapons platforms and equipment, Trend reports.

“Collective defense is our fundamental pillar, and Lithuania’s
main contribution to it is a NATO-standard mechanized division.
Tanks are the primary platform in such a unit. Their integration
into the forces is time-intensive, so any delay is unacceptable,”
said Minister of National Defense Dovilė Šakalienė.

The move follows the NATO regional defense plans and the
agreement signed in Berlin by Minister Šakalienė and German Defense
Minister Boris Pistorius for the purchase of 44 Leopard 2A8 tanks.
The goal is to speed up production and ensure delivery by 2030,
bringing the National Division closer to full operational
capability.

The Leopard 2A8 tanks will come equipped with state-of-the-art
protection systems, boasting sensors, laser warning receivers, and
top-notch electronic and kinetic anti-drone defenses designed to
keep pace with the fast-moving world of drone warfare.

According to Minister Šakalienė, the procurement is not merely
critical for the unit’s operational efficacy and a transformative
phase in defense modernization but also a pivotal component of
synergy with the German contingent designated for the protection of
Lithuania.

Lithuania is poised to execute the preliminary financial
disbursement for the armored battalion in the third fiscal quarter
of the current calendar year.

In accordance with the fiscal framework established by the
2025–2027 state budget legislation, the Ministry of Finance is
empowered to engage in borrowing activities to address national
defense imperatives, encompassing enhancements to military mobility
infrastructure and strategic capital allocations within the
domestic defense sector.

Lithuania is already allocating 4 percent of its GDP to defense
this year, with plans to increase that share to 5.25 percent next
year.

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