“The operational capacity, in terms of drone capacity, must be reached by the end of 2026, 2027,” presidential adviser Kęstutis Budrys told reporters after the meeting.
“To do that work, the military would have to develop the drone capability in an integrated manner with other capabilities — we don’t see it as a separate unit,” he added.
According to K. Budris, drones in the army should work “in interaction with other platforms”. According to him, VGT also recommended developing the drone capacity with the “Lithuanian defense industry capabilities”.
On Monday, President Gitanas Nausėda convenes a meeting of the State Defense Council (VGT) regarding the development of drone capabilities in the Lithuanian army. The meeting discussed intelligence activity reports, intelligence information needs, development of the capacity of unmanned aircraft systems in the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
Gitanas Nausėda would like more attention to drones
Both the President and the National Security and Defense Committee of the Seimas have criticized the army and the Ministry of National Defense for not paying enough attention to drones.
Back in January, the latter was interested in how the ministry and the army plan to develop drone capabilities. According to the chairman of the committee, the current candidate for the Minister of National Defense, Lauryns Kasčiūnas, the capabilities of the drones planned to be purchased and available by the army would be enough for “one strong battle”, but not for a long-term war with Russia.
At that time, the Seimas Committee sent estimates to the members of the VGT – the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Seimas, the Minister of National Defense and the Commander of the Army – on how and in which directions the capabilities of drones and countermeasures could be developed.
Some Lithuanian politicians began to pay more attention to drones as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, where both sides use these drones for various tasks, from reconnaissance to destroying enemy targets.
President G. Nausėda said at the beginning of February that, in his opinion, the army has not fully realized the fact that the development of drones is a very important part of the defense strategy. He mentioned that he would propose to discuss that issue in the VGT.
For their part, military development officers say drones can be used for reconnaissance and support, but overstating their capabilities on the battlefield could divert politicians’ attention from other important purchases, such as tanks.
According to land system officials, operational and strategic objectives are achieved during conflicts with heavy weapons, and on the battlefield, the interaction of all units is important.
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