Editing Lithuanian Armed Forces (section)

===Restoration and NATO===
[[File:Operation Atlantic Resolve 141030-Z-SR689-011.jpg|thumb|Lithuanian soldiers shaking hands with the [[United States Army|American soldiers]] during the [[Operation Atlantic Resolve]] in 2014]]
Following the [[Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania|restoration of independence]], the defence forces were formally reestablished on 25 April 1990 with the creation of the Department of National Defence. After the [[January Events]], the [[Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces|Voluntary National Defence Service]] was formed of lightly armed volunteers. The Lithuanian Armed Forces were officially restored on 19 November 1992.<ref name="lt-military-hist"/> [[Western European]] countries, especially Sweden, helped to arm the initial force by selling or donating excess equipment. Lithuania began the modernisation of its military, becoming the first European country to acquire the US-made [[FGM-148 Javelin]] systems in 2001 and the [[FIM-92 Stinger]] systems in 2002.<ref name="lt-military-modern">{{cite web|url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuvos-ginkluotosios-pajegos-po-nepriklausomybes-atkurimo/|title=Lietuvos ginkluotosios pajėgos po nepriklausomybės atkūrimo|publisher=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija|language=lt|access-date=2 May 2021|archive-date=4 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504195518/https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuvos-ginkluotosios-pajegos-po-nepriklausomybes-atkurimo/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Lithuania applied for [[Member states of NATO|NATO membership]] in 1994 and eventually [[Enlargement of NATO|joined the alliance]] in 2004. It has modernised its armed forces and participated in various international missions including the [[International Security Assistance Force|NATO-led mission in Afghanistan]]. [[Conscription]] ended in September 2008, but was reintroduced in 2015 due to deteriorating [[Cold War II|geopolitical environment]] after the [[2014–15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine|Russia's military intervention in Ukraine]].<ref name="Ministry of National Defence, Lithuania">{{Cite news |url=http://www.kam.lt/index.php/en/168627/ |title=Compulsory basic military service discontinued |publisher=Ministry of National Defence|access-date=9 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626111722/http://www.kam.lt/index.php/en/168627 |archive-date=26 June 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Delfi">{{Cite news|url=http://en.delfi.lt/lithuania/defence/conscription-notices-to-be-sent-to-37000-men-in-lithuania.d?id=67940028 |title=Conscription notices to be sent to 37,000 men in Lithuania|access-date=14 May 2015|archive-date=30 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630090709/http://en.delfi.lt/lithuania/defence/conscription-notices-to-be-sent-to-37000-men-in-lithuania.d?id=67940028|url-status=live}}</ref> NATO also responded by establishing the [[NATO Enhanced Forward Presence]] in 2017 with a battlegroup in Lithuania which was led by Germany.<ref>{{cite web|title=NATO's military presence in the east of the Alliance|url=https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_136388.htm|date=8 July 2024|access-date=11 July 2024|website=NATO}}</ref>