The Ministry of National Defence is consistently pursuing the Lithuanian Armed Forces reserve reform. The number of reservists put on skills refresher is increased to ensure that the active reserve is properly ready to commence actions immediately. Double the number as compared to the previous year has brushed up their skills making over 2.6 thousand of conscripts, the amount will continue to grow further.
“Refreshment of skills is a critical element in active reserve readiness. The yearly number of conscripts undergoing the refreshment is going. It is double the size at the moment and that will be redoubled yet again next year. 5000 members of active reserve are planned to be trained yearly as of 2025,” says Minster of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas.
According to Minister, the present security situation requires the Lithuanian Armed Forces to be able to employ the reserve and in the shortest possible time switch to the wartime organization structure to ensure the response as required to a potential aggressor. The Ministry of National Defence currently capitalizes on the best prepared part of the reserve, the active reserve which is conscripts from the past 10 years.
At the moment, Lithuania has approx. 100 thousand of reserve personnel with initial military training, 27 thousand of them are classified as active reserve. The ministry of National Defence works to extend the active reserve service availability to 15 years which would increase the number of active reserve personnel to 47 thousand in 2023.
Since last year, every member of the active reserve has their designated military unit. This part is able to supplement the units and complete tasks not only in wartime but also at peacetime, as well as in international operations. The Armed Forces staff reserve concept adopted last year laid out key principles for ensuring the most efficient manning of regular Armed Forces units from the reserve and formation of a reserve brigade.
“We take into account Lithuanian Armed Forces requirements and review the active reserve organization with a view of an increase. Declaration f mobilization would primarily bring in active reservists, then – trained reserve conscripts, and only then the rest who had never undergone the initial military training,” says Minister A. Anušauskas.
Minister underscores that the reserve reform focuses on quality, thus the Armed Forces reserve will have to be not only trained properly enough but also provided for well which is already addressed with additional volumes of individual gear and weaponry set to be delivered shortly to fully satisfy the needs of the wartime structure organization units of the Armed Forces.
Photo credit: MoD/ A. Pliadis
