National Defence Volunteer 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.

Structure and subdivisions

Volunteer Force comprises 6 territorial units covering the entire territory of Lithuania:

	1st Territorial Unit of Dainava Military District,
	2nd Territorial Unit of Darius and Girėnas Military District,
	3rd Territorial Unit of Žemaičiai Military District,
	5th Territorial Unit of Vytis Military District,
	6th Territorial Unit of Prisikėlimo Military District,
	8th Territorial Unit of the Great Battle Military District.

There are around 4500 volunteers and around 700 professional soldiers in the force.