The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense will increase the number of armed forces to 20 thousand.

The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense announced plans to gradually increase the number of armed forces to 20,000 people. This was announced on Friday, April 18, on the agency's website.

"By reforming the structure of the armed forces, we aim to strengthen Lithuania's defense capability.: we are creating new military units, increasing the number of troops and creating an operational depth that will allow our army to act even more effectively both at the state level and together with our allies," the publication quotes the words of the head of the ministry, Deauville Shakalene.

The amendments to the law provide for an increase in the number of professional military personnel to 20,000, voluntary service to 6.8 thousand, as well as the creation of new military units.

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Earlier, on March 18, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that Europe should have strong defense by 2030, for this it is necessary to rearm and develop capabilities for reliable deterrence. In particular, investments in the production of air and missile defense systems, as well as all modern types of drones and anti-drone systems, should be increased for this purpose.