TSAMTO, January 14. The Lithuanian Government has decided to accelerate the planned purchase of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS).
Explaining this decision, the Cabinet referred, as it has already become a practice, to the "mythical" build-up of Russia's military power on the border with Ukraine.
As reported by Defensenews.com The decision to purchase the systems in 2026, two years earlier than previously planned, was made by the State Defense Council, a body composed of the President, Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Speaker of Parliament and Commander-in-Chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
As Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anushauskas stated on his Twitter page, the State Defense Council agrees that in the face of current security threats, the Lithuanian Armed Forces need to increase the number of conscripts and further expand their capabilities. In particular, Lithuania intends to participate in a joint project to develop regional capabilities in the field of compatible multiple launch rocket systems.
Local observers believe that the ministry plans to order MLRS manufactured by the American Lockheed Martin.
Currently, there are no MLRS in the Armed Forces of the Baltic States. Last December, at a meeting in Kaunas, A. Anushauskas, Estonian Defense Minister Kalle Laanet and Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks reached an agreement that all three Baltic countries would acquire MLRS for their armed forces.
Approved by the Government of Estonia in December 2021, the "National Defense Development Plan until 2031" provides for the creation of a MLRS unit in the Armed Forces. A contract for their supply can be signed as early as this year.
