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National Defence Volunteer Forces | |
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Krašto apsaugos savanorių pajėgos | |
![]() Insignia of National Defence Volunteer Forces | |
Founded | 1991 |
Country | ![]() |
Type | Military volunteer forces |
Size | more than 4,900 active personnel |
Part of | Lithuanian Armed Forces |
Garrison/HQ | Vilnius |
Anniversaries | 17 January 1991 |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Colonel Darius Vaicikauskas |
Insignia | |
Flag | ![]() |
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Lithuanian Armed Forces |
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Components |
Administration |
Personnel |
Equipment |
History |
Lithuania portal |
The National Defence Volunteer Forces or NDVF (Lithuanian: Krašto apsaugos savanorių pajėgos [KASP], previously Savanoriškoji krašto apsaugos tarnyba [SKAT]) is a branch of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Volunteer forces were officially established on 17 January 1991 by the law of the Supreme Council of Lithuania on the National Defence Volunteer Service providing basis for establishing Voluntary National Defence Service. This decision made legal already existing volunteer formations that began appearing as early as 1990. Voluntary National Defence Service was reorganised into the National Defence Volunteer Force. In 2003 Volunteer Force was integrated into the Lithuanian Land Force. Tasks of volunteer soldiers were inevitably altered when Lithuania became a full-fledged member of NATO: approach of territorial defence was changed into territorial defence and training of modern active reserve. There are around 5000 volunteers and around 800 professional soldiers in the force.