Lithuania vs. Poland
Military
| Lithuania | Poland | |
|---|---|---|
| Military branches | Lithuanian Armed Forces (Lietuvos Ginkluotosios Pajegos): Land Forces (Sausumos Pajegos), Naval Forces (Karines Juru Pajegos), Air Forces (Karines Oro Pajegos), Special Operations Forces (Specialiuju Operaciju Pajegos); National Defense Volunteer Forces (Savanoriu Pajegos); National Riflemen's Union (paramilitary force that acts as an additional reserve force) (2021) | Polish Armed Forces: Land Forces (Wojska Ladowe), Navy (Marynarka Wojenna), Air Force (Sily Powietrzne), Special Forces (Wojska Specjalne), Territorial Defense Force (Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej); Ministry of the Interior: Border Guard (includes coast guard duties) (2021) note: the Polish Armed Forces are organized into a General Staff, an Armed Forces General Command, an Armed Forces Operational Command, Territorial Defense Forces, Military Police, and the Warsaw Garrison Command |
| Military service age and obligation | 19-26 years of age for conscripted military service (males); 9-month service obligation; in 2015, Lithuania reinstated conscription after having converted to a professional military in 2008; 18-38 for voluntary service (male and female) (2019) | 18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; conscription phased out in 2009-12; professional soldiers serve on a permanent basis (for an unspecified period of time) or on a contract basis (for a specified period of time); initial contract period is 24 months; women serve in the military on the same terms as men (2019) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.13% of GDP (2020 est.) 2% of GDP (2019) 1.97% of GDP (2018) 1.71% of GDP (2017) 1.48% of GDP (2016) | 2.2% of GDP (2021 est.) 2.31% of GDP (2020 est.) 1.98% of GDP (2019) 2.02% of GDP (2018) 1.89% of GDP (2017) |
| Military - note | Lithuania officially became a member of NATO in 2004 | Poland joined NATO in 1999; Czechia, Hungary, and Poland were invited to begin accession talks at NATO's Madrid Summit in 1997, and in March 1999 they became the first former members of the Warsaw Pact to join the Alliance |
| Military and security service personnel strengths | the Lithuanian Armed Forces have approximately 16,000 active duty personnel (12,500 Army, including about 5,000 National Defense Voluntary Forces; 600 Navy; 1,000 Air Force; 2,000 other, including special operations forces, logistics support, training, etc); est. 11,000 Riflemen Union (2021) | approximately 120,000 total active duty personnel (60,000 Army; 7,000 Navy; 17,000 Air Force; 3,500 Special Forces; 25,000 Territorial Defense Forces; 7,500 joint service) (2020) note - in June 2019, the Polish Government approved a plan to increase the size of the military by 50,000 troops over the coming decade |
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the Lithuanian Armed Forces' inventory is mostly a mix of Western weapons systems and Soviet-era equipment (primarily aircraft and helicopters); Germany and the UK are the leading suppliers of armaments to Lithuania since 2010 (2020) | the inventory of the Polish Armed Forces consists of a mix of Soviet-era and more modern Western weapons systems; since 2010, the leading suppliers of armaments to Poland are Finland, Germany, Italy, and the US (2020) |
| Military deployments | contributes about 350-550 troops to the Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine joint military brigade (LITPOLUKRBRIG), which was established in 2014; the brigade is headquartered in Warsaw and is comprised of an international staff, three battalions, and specialized units | 240 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR); up to 175 Latvia (NATO); 250 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (June 2021) note: Poland contributes about 2,500 troops to the Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine joint military brigade (LITPOLUKRBRIG), which was established in 2014; the brigade is headquartered in Warsaw and is comprised of an international staff, three battalions, and specialized units |
Source: CIA Factbook
