Ministry of National Defence (Lithuania)

Ministry of National Defence
Krašto apsaugos ministerija; (in Lithuanian)
Ministry overview
Formed	11 November 1918; 105 years ago
Jurisdiction	Government of Lithuania
Headquarters	Totorių 25, Senamiestis,; 01121 Vilnius
Annual budget	€1.028 billion (2021)
Minister responsible	Laurynas Kasčiūnas, 18th Minister for National Defence of Lithuania;
Website	kam.lt
Map
	54°40′58.3″N 25°16′58.1″E / 54.682861°N 25.282806°E

The Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Respublikos krašto apsaugos ministerija) is government institution in Lithuania responsible for the organization of national defence.^[4]

History

The first cabinet of ministers of the Republic of Lithuania was appointed on 11 November 1918, and the defence minister position was initially assumed by the Prime Minister Augustinas Voldemaras.^[1] The situation in Lithuania was tense after World War I. The first decree concerning the national defence was issued on 23 November 1918, which is officially considered the day of the formation of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.^[2] On 24 December 1918, lieutenant general Mykolas Velykis became the defence minister just for two days; on the 26th, he was replaced by Jonas Vileišis. As soon as Lithuania began forming its defence institutions, the country had to mobilize and fight the Lithuanian Wars of Independence.^[2]

Defence Materiel Agency

The Defence Materiel Agency (Lithuanian: Gynybos Resursų Agentūra) is an institution under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of National Defence, and it is responsible for defence procurement and strategies.^[6]^[7]

As of 2023, about 100 people work at the Defence Materiel Agency.^[8]

In 2022, the Lithuanian Ministry of Economy and Innovation awarded the Defence Materiel Agency for high standards in its public procurement practices.^[9]^[10]

Ministers

Term	Minister	Party	Cabinet	Office
Term	Minister	Party	Cabinet	Start date	End date	Time in office
1	Audrius Butkevičius (born 1960)	Independent	Vagnorius	13 January 1991	21 July 1992	1 year, 190 days
2	Audrius Butkevičius (born 1960)	Independent	Abišala	21 July 1992	17 December 1992	149 days
3	Audrius Butkevičius (born 1960)	Independent	Lubys	17 December 1992	31 March 1993	104 days
4	Audrius Butkevičius (born 1960)	Independent	Šleževičius	31 March 1993	28 October 1993	211 days
5	Linas Antanas Linkevičius (born 1961)	Democratic Labour Party	Šleževičius	28 October 1993	19 March 1996	2 years, 143 days
6	Linas Antanas Linkevičius (born 1961)	Democratic Labour Party	Stankevičius	19 March 1996	10 December 1996	266 days
7	Česlovas Vytautas Stankevičius (born 1937)	Homeland Union	Vagnorius	10 December 1996	10 June 1999	2 years, 182 days
8	Česlovas Vytautas Stankevičius (born 1937)	Homeland Union	Paksas	10 June 1999	11 November 1999	154 days
9	Česlovas Vytautas Stankevičius (born 1937)	Homeland Union	Kubilius	11 November 1999	9 November 2000	364 days
10	Linas Antanas Linkevičius (born 1961)	Social Democratic Party	Paksas	9 November 2000	12 July 2001	245 days
11	Linas Antanas Linkevičius (born 1961)	Social Democratic Party	Brazauskas	12 July 2001	14 December 2004	3 years, 155 days
12	Gediminas Kirkilas (1951-2024)	Social Democratic Party	Brazauskas	14 December 2004	18 July 2006	1 year, 216 days
13	Juozas Olekas (born 1955)	Social Democratic Party	Kirkilas	18 July 2006	9 December 2008	2 years, 144 days
14	Rasa Juknevičienė (born 1958)	Homeland Union	Kubilius	9 December 2008	13 December 2012	4 years, 4 days
15	Juozas Olekas (born 1955)	Social Democratic Party	Butkevičius	13 December 2012	13 December 2016	4 years, 0 days
16	Raimundas Karoblis (born 1968)	Independent	Skvernelis	13 December 2016	11 December 2020	3 years, 364 days
17	Arvydas Anušauskas (born 1963)	Homeland Union	Šimonytė	11 December 2020	Incumbent	3 years, 198 days