Minister of National Defence Dovilė Šakalienė had a phone call with NATO SACEUR General Alexus G. Grynkiewich on NATO involvement in protection of the Lithuanian airspace and U.S. military presence in Lithuania.
“General Alexus G. Grynkiewich and I have discussed the required NATO actions in safeguarding Lithuania’s airspace. We are urgently initiating additional intelligence sharing to ensure enhanced airspace surveillance. A NATO team of experts will be deployed to Lithuania within weeks to assess our airspace surveillance system and offer recommendations on strengthening air defence. We have agreed to come up with solutions on additional air defence capabilities under coordination of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe,” says Minister of National Defence Dovilė Šakalienė.
According to D. Šakalienė, Lithuania is looking into acquiring equipment to strengthen air defence worth of EUR 0.5 billion.
“We are ready to defend every inch of Allied territory, including the airspace. We will respond to Lithuania’s request with immediate sharing of potential threats in Allied airspace. Additionally, we will dispatch a team of experts to Lithuania who will formulate recommendations to me regarding further actions of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe,” says SACEUR General Alexus G. Grynkewich.
Minister also presented the measures Lithuania took to respond to airspace incidents during the call: stepped up surveillance, short-range air defence, a unit of the Air Defence Battalion already moved close to the Border with Belarus, and mobile units capable of neutralizing drone threats and block out GPS and other navigation in real time being formed.
In the meanwhile, passive defence is also strengthened around critical sites, legal regulations are fine-tuned to allow closing concrete air corridors and opening the airspace for target neutralization free of any risk to civilians, and also additional action authorizations for the Armed Forces.
Minister and General also discussed another equally important topic for Lithuania: the U.S. military presence. A U.S. battalion and an artillery units have been deployed on a persistent basis in Lithuania since 2019. This autumn Lithuania will unveil new infrastructure and training bases for U.S troops, an investment exceeding USD 200 million. The next U.S. rotation will be already hosted in the new infrastructure in Pabradė.
General A. Grynkewich is planned to visit Lithuania soon this autumn.
