DefMin to assign planning of military acquisitions to Armed Forces

The Defence Ministry has registered bills on establishment of a centralized procurement agency. Officials hope the amendments to be adopted during the spring session in order for the agency to be operational in 2018.

The institution will make a few departments at the ministry redundant, namely, the Capabilities and Armaments Department, the Weaponry and Control Systems Department and the Procurement Department. The Material Resources Department will be scrapped at the Armed Forces.

Under the new scheme functions of the Capabilities and Armaments Department will be moved to the army’s Joint Staff.

Defence Vice-Minister Giedrimas Jeglinskas said the Joint Staff will thus be put in charge of planning the military acquisitions, while the army’s unit will be named the Defense Staff.

“We believe that it is the troops who know best what they need for performing their tasks. They should be responsible for the planning, and we will have certain controls at the Defence Ministry,” Jeglinskas told BNS.

The remaining three departments to be closed will be moved to the acquisitions agency under development. It should employ about 150 people.

Expected to start operations in 2018, the agency should conduct about 75 percent of all acquisitions within the defense system, with plans to be responsible for 95 percent of the acquisitions a year later.

In Jeglinskas’ words, the remaining 5 percent of the acquisitions will be low-cost, therefore, inefficient for the new agency to coordinate.