“Now that it is in a very dangerous threat environment, Lithuania should continue what it is doing which is increase defence spending from 2 to 2.5 in overtime. That is appropriate for a frontline state which unfortunate Lithuania and other Baltic states are,” former US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Walt Slocombe says. He is visiting Lithuania this week in a delegation of defence and security experts and shapers led by the Atlantic Council, an influential analytical centre of the U.S., in order to get first hand impressions about the Baltic security situation.
The Atlantic Council is an influential U.S. analytical centre that maintains communication with both major political parties of the United States and has a wide pool of security and defence experts across the globe. It especially focusses on security issues in North Eastern Europe. The Atlantic Council delegation includes high-level experts of diverse experience and subject-matter, able to assess NATO’s deterrent actions, analyse the U.S-Lithuanian bilateral cooperation, and look for other opportunities that would increase regional security.
“Lithuania is a very good ally of United States, one of the bests U.S. allies, aware of the dangers we face and doing more than most allies to protect itself but also add to collective defence capability,” W. Slocombe said and added that it had been a remarkable accomplishment what the country had done in a relatively short period of time. “That’s one thing. In terms of specific areas, one thing I was impressed with is that Lithuania military is focused on a few areas, such as better mobility, better weapons. This prioritization leads to higher effectiveness of your forces.”
“The current security environment in the Baltic regions remains to be complicated, therefore the support of the United States remains to be critical. We are happy to design and develop together with the United States precisely the capabilities that make our region stronger,” Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis said.
The key focus of the visit is the bilateral U.S.-Lithuanian defence cooperation in order to enhance the present defensive measures, ensure that capability gaps are filled and necessary infrastructure is developed, and interoperability between the forces of Lithuania and the United States is honed.
The guest delegation had meetings with Minister of National Defence R. Karoblis, Minister of Transport and Communications Rokas Masiulis, Vice Minister of National Defence Giedrimas Jeglinskas, and representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the Lithuanian Armed Forces in Vilnius. The Atlantic Council representatives are also scheduled to meet with representatives of the Defence Staff, NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU), and soldiers of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Mechanised Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf and the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group in Rukla. Other activities on the agenda are visits to the National Cyber Security Centre and the Lithuanian Navy HQ in Klaipėda.
The delegation is visiting Lithuania as part of a joint project of the Atlantic Council and the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence, “ Enhancement of Defence Capabilities and Readiness in North Eastern Europe”. It is aimed at strengthening the defence cooperation of Lithuania and the United States through different bilateral and regional initiatives allowing to enhance national and regional defence capabilities effectively and to improve advance readiness for crises and assistance to Lithuania’s security in the long-term.
Photo credits: Alfredas Pliadis (MoD)
