| Lithuanian Land Forces | |
|---|---|
| Lietuvos sausumos pajėgos | |
 Insignia of Land Forces Command | |
| Active | 1918–1940, 1990–present |
| Country |  Lithuania |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Land force |
| Role | Defend territory of Lithuania and act as an integral part of NATO forces |
| Size | 12,000 active duty 5,500 volunteer force ~3,500 conscripts[1] |
| Part of | Lithuanian Armed Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Vilnius |
| Mottos | Vienybėje jėga, tikėjime - pergalė! (Translation: "Strength in unity, victory in belief!") |
| Equipment | Lithuanian army equipment |
| Website | Official site |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Brigadier generalArtūras Radvilas |
| Chief of Staff | ColonelViktoras Bagdonas |
| Insignia | |
| Flag of Lithuanian Land Force |  |
| Flag of Land Forces Command | .jpg) |
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| Lithuanian Armed Forces |
|---|
| Components |
| Support branches |
| Administration |
| Personnel |
| Equipment |
| History |
| Lithuania portal |
TheLithuanian Land Forces (LLF) form the backbone of theLithuanian Armed Forces and are capable of acting as an integral part ofNATO forces. Lithuanian Land Forces consist of a single recently formed 1st ArmyDivision, theLithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces, and supporting units, together comprising over 22,000 soldiers.
The main element of the Land Forces is the 1st Army Division, comprising theIron Wolf Mechanised Infantry Brigade, The "Žemaitija" (Griffin)infantry brigade, and the "Aukštaitija"infantry brigade.
TheIron Wolf Mechanised Infantry Brigade is the main element of the Division and is formed around threemechanized infantry battalions and an artillery battalion, all named afterLithuanian grand dukes as the tradition of the Lithuanian Armed Forces goes.
The "Žemaitija" (Griffin) brigade was activated on 1 January 2016.[2] It is composed of threemotorised infantry battalions and one artillery battalion; one of these is tasked to support operations both domestically and overseas; one is tasked primarily with the defence of territorial Lithuania.
The Brigade "Aukštaitija" is a reserve brigade, which was activated on 23 March 2017. In peacetime the brigade's headquarter staff works at the Lithuanian Armed Forces Training and Doctrine Command. The brigade's three maneuver battalions are made up of reservists, while the three battalion's headquarters personnel works in peacetime at the Division GeneralStasys Raštikis Lithuanian Armed Forces School, Great Lithuanian HetmanJonušas Radvila Training Regiment, and GeneralAdolfas Ramanauskas Combat Training Center. The brigade's reconnaissance company is composed of conscripts, while the brigade's headquarters, signal and logistic units are composed of professional soldiers. When activated the brigade consists of around 4,500 troops.
Juozas Vitkus Engineer Battalion is responsible formine clearance, the construction ofpontoon bridges, unexploded ordnance detonation tasks, underwater engineering, and participation insearch and rescue operations. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Platoon is ready to participate in international operations. Starting in 2008, the Lithuanian Armed Forces launched a 10-year-long project continuing mine cleaning on Lithuanian territory of explosives left after theFirst andSecond World War, and in formerSoviet military bases.
As an integral part of the Land Forces, the National Defence Volunteers have been developing since the beginning of the national movement forindependence. The volunteers act smoothly together with the Allies duringmilitary operations and have been assigned new missions: to augment the regular forces, to deploy individual units and specific capabilities for international operations, to assist host nation support and to support the civilian authorities.
With the reintroduction of conscription in 2015 the Lithuanian Land Force began an expansion of its main combat formations. As of January 2025 the land forces consist of the following units:
Lithuanian Land Forces Headquarters, inVilnius.png)
1st Division, inRukla[3].png)
Infantry Brigade "Iron Wolf", in Rukla (Heavy brigade)
_Infantry_Brigade_(1st_Division).png)
Infantry Brigade "Žemaitija", inKlaipėda (Medium brigade).png)
Infantry Brigade "Aukštaitija", inVilnius (Light brigade).png)
Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces.png)
Juozas Lukša Training Center.jpg)
In reforming the Armed Forces, most of the available attention and financial resources have been directed to the development of the Land Forces. Lithuania has been modernizing its armed forces since 1990s and by now nearly all equipment is compatible with theNATO standards. The current efforts focus on increasing the firepower, acquiring new equipment and armaments, enhancing their operational effectiveness andcombat training. The standard serviceassault rifle of the Lithuanian Armed Forces is theHeckler & Koch G36 and the standardpistol is theGlock 17, but will be replaced byHeckler & Koch VP9. The Lithuanian Land Forces are also equipped withmachine guns, including theGPMGMG-3, theFN MAG, and the 12.7mm (.50 cal.)M2 Browning machine gun. They also employ theAT-4 anti-tank rockets andCarl Gustav anti-tank recoilless rifles,HK GMG high-velocitygrenade launchers, and low-velocity AG-36 under-the-barrel grenade launchers, in addition to light and heavymortars. The army also uses high-technology Lithuanian-made tactical automated commanding and controlling informational systems (TAVVIS).
Conscription in Lithuania lasts 9 months. Every year a random list of 18-23-year-old men are called up to fill the 3,500 draftee requirement, however men and women up to 38 years old can apply voluntarily. In practice, only a small fraction of the conscripts need to be drafted, as the vast majority apply and serve voluntarily.[7] After completing the 9 months service, conscripts are added to the active military reserve, where they remain for 10 years and are periodically called up to refresh their skills.[8]
Conscription halted in Lithuanian in 2008, as the military focused on developing the professional armed forces, and the relative geopolitical stability coupled with economic crisis didn't justify the increased spending.[9]
Conscription was eventually reintroduced in 2015, this decision was determined by two main reasons: changed geopolitical situation and insufficient manning of the units of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The first draft included 3,000 people, with plans to raise it to 3,500 the following year.[10]
The deteriorating geopolitical state in 2022 reignited the debate over importance of conscription, and as of 2025 there are numerous reforms planned with the eventual goal of universal mandatory conscription. A new law will take effect starting 2026 that will, among other things, raise the quantity of enlisted conscripts from 3,500 to 4,000, change the draft pool to include all high-school graduates from 18 to 22 years old, and offer more alternative forms of service.[11]
The rank insignia ofcommissioned officers.
| NATO code | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Lithuanian Land Force[12] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
| Generolas | Generolas leitenantas | Generolas majoras | Brigados generolas | Pulkininkas | Pulkininkas leitenantas | Majoras | Kapitonas | Vyresnysis leitenantas | Leitenantas | |||||||||||||||
The rank insignia ofnon-commissioned officers andenlisted personnel.
| NATO code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-2 | OR-1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lithuanian Land Force[12] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seržantas majoras | Viršila | Štabo seržantas | Vyresnysis seržantas | Seržantas | Grandinis | Vyresnysis eilinis | Eilinis | Jaunesnysis eilinis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As ofthis edit, this article uses content from"Lithuanian Armed Forces :: Structure » Land Forces", which is licensed in a way that permits reuse under theCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, but not under theGFDL. All relevant terms must be followed.
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