Second motorised infantry brigade to boost Lithuanian Land Forces

The brigade will initially consist of 1,500 conscript soldiers, with that number increasing in the future, and will be equipped with four-by-four and armoured vehicles (M113), as well as anti-tank units equipped with Javelin missile systems.

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The mission of the brigade will be the same as of the current Iron Wolf brigade – to protect and defend land territory, carrying out both defensive and offensive tasks. From this year, the mechanised infantry brigade Iron Wolf will also be reorganised in order to strengthen Lithuania‘s defensive capabilities.

Defence Minister Juozas Olekas said: “We are strengthening our defences by increasing our funding not only for the modernization of the existing army units, but we have decided that to have better state defence, a second brigade needs to be set up. The decision was just made and the formation of the brigade will begin.

“We now have the Iron Wolf, we have a brigade, we have a few more battalions who are not on the Iron Wolf brigade, so we will combine those, add new ones and we’ll have very clear structural units, which will be able to fulfil those tasks and our defence plans.”