Lithuania is planning to establish four defence industry clusters, open training areas to test the relevant products, and set up a new venture capital fund to support the industry, Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said.
“The principle is simple,” she declared at a news conference at the Vilnius Military Economy. “If you can make it in Lithuania, do so!”
Capability for mine manufacturing
The minister says that Lithuania’s first goal is to produce the necessary quantities of critical ammunition.
“We already producing anti-tank mines and other types of mines,” she declared. Sakaliene also provided details about the four planned critical defence industry clusters.
“The first is the ammunition and explosives cluster,” she told her audience. “The goal is to have an integrated supply chain for explosives and explosive materials operating in Lithuania so that we can independently support the Lithuanian Armed Forces and our allies with critical large and medium-calibre ammunition, mines and other explosives.”
According to the minister, Lithuania requires at least 85,000 anti-tank mines, and EUR 50 million have already been earmarked for this purpose.
The second cluster is for the manufacturing of drones, anti-drone systems and long-range missile drones.
“I will make every effort to attract the development of the critical components and technologies to Lithuania,” the minister promises. “This process is already moving forward quite successfully.”
The third cluster will be focused on the production and repair of critical military equipment.
“I spoke to colleagues in Poland yesterday about the fact that there are areas in which we are already capable of providing them with assistance and maintenance services when it comes to heavy weaponry,” Sakaliene says.
Military training areas for products
Ms Sakaliene also described a “strong civilian maritime cluster” for defence purposes.
“They’re ready to transition into the military file, and we’ll create the conditions that are needed for that to happen,” she says.
“I’ve spoken with defence ministers from several countries and with the defence industry about how we can involve Lithuanian shipyards in the process,” Sakaliene explains. “They are ready and eager to co-operate with us, and they are fully capable of doing so.”
The minister says that the most intensive talks at this time are with defence industry manufacturers in the United States, Germany, Ukraine and the Nordic countries.
“We’ll continue to support our businesses through state procurements and purchases,” Sakaliene says. “The goal is to pass the necessary amendments to the law during the spring session in Parliament to establish a true green corridor for the defence industry.”
This area includes military missiles with explosive warheads, automatic firearms, ammunition with armour-piercing, explosive or incendiary projectiles, all calibres of cannons, howitzers, mortars, grenade launchers and grenades, all types of bombs, torpedoes, mines, etc.
Plans also call for EUR 10 million for the MILinvest fund for defence startups and for a new venture capital fund to support the sector.
“We’ll allocate EUR 20 million euros for this during a later stage,” Sakaliene vows.
The minister added that manufacturers will be provided with access to military training areas to test their new products.
“Act as if war were coming tomorrow”
Sakaliene insists that Lithuania needs to adopt a wartime mindset.
“Everyone must be prepared to act with what they have,” she says. “When the time comes, there will be no time to reorganise or alter procedures, so right now we have to act as if war were coming tomorrow.”
“There will certainly be no war tomorrow, but we must stand prepared to work on the basis of that principle,” the minister adds.
Sakaliene says that the goal is to have more than just “plans on paper.” The aim is to test things in practice, and that is why more military exercises are being planned.
“All functions and units of the national defence system will be evaluated on the basis of this contributions toward the countering of a potential aggressor,” the minister explains. “If a unit has a clear defence function, then it will be strengthened. If it is difficult to identify its contributions, then resources will be reallocated accordingly.”
The minister also promises a new task for called “Speed” with the aim of improving her county’s defence system.
Source: BNS
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