„A well-armed, equipped and suitably dressed soldier is the basis of our defence. (&) Much attention will be paid to that,“ Kasčiūnas said at the presentation of the programme at the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion.
According to the minister, it costs EUR 19,000 to equip a soldier armed with an automatic rifle, EUR 29,000 if a soldier has a marksman rifle and EUR 37,000 if it is a machine-gunner.
The minister added that additional funding approved by the Government last week would be used for acquiring light machine guns, night vision devices and laser sights. He added that it is constantly sought to enhance the implementation of the modern soldier programme.
Kasčiūnas says it is planned to earmark nearly EUR 320 million for this programme in 2025-2027 and up to EUR 1.2 billion in the next decade.
Last Wednesday, the Government decided to increase defence funding by additional EUR 130 million this year. EUR 20 million of the amount will be used for purchasing light machine guns, night vision devices and laser sights.
Chief of Defence General Raimundas Vaikšnoras said that it is planned to acquire enough of these items to equip 30,000 soldiers by 2025, 70,000 by 2027 and 77,000 by 2030.