Military intelligence of Lithuania has been the most effective guarantee of national defence since the restoration of independence. On June 1 it celebrates the 30th anniversary since its re-establishment. Intelligence services ensure that political and military leadership of the country gets the most essential information for forming national security and defence policy, and the country’s armed forces – for getting ready to eliminate military threats facing the country. Today, the activities carried out by the Second Investigation Department under the Ministry of National Defence are essential for operation of the National Defence System.
The mission of military intelligence is to in a timely manner collect, analyse and assess every kind of information about the will and intent of the opponent, its capabilities and planned or ongoing actions, territory, space surrounding the territory, in order to enable the country and its armed forces to ensure national defence. No armed forces would be able to complete the tasks entrusted to them and to achieve the effects they aim for without a capable, precise, and timely intelligence actions and information.
When Lithuania’s independence was established, the intelligence services were built from zero, just like the rest of the National Defence System. However, the first five years of independence saw the foundation for an effective military intelligence service laid: essential technical capabilities were amassed, proper personnel recruited, theirs skills developed, and experience acquired. It was a quest for the most relevant form of military intelligence, as well as for a place for it in the state and the National Defence System, therefore, many changes of the name, organisation, and personnel of the service took place over the time of creating it.
On 1 June 1990 the Intelligence Unit was established in the structure of the Department of National Defence under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. It was named according to the traditions of the interwar, the Second Unit, even though the name was changed to the Information-Intelligence Unit as soon as October in fact. In the beginning its personnel totalled 7 officers. Their task was to collect and analyse information about the units of the Soviet Army deployed in Lithuania and to submit intelligence reports to the Department of National Defence under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.
After one year, in October 1991, the Department of National Defence was reorganised into the Ministry of National Defence (MoD), the Information Service was tasked with computerisation of the National Defence System and collection of information. The only subdivision of the Service was put in charge of intelligence gathering. A parallel Immunity Service was established in the MoD structure in December of the same year to ensure counter-intelligence activities.
In 1992 the function of intelligence gathering and analysis was transferred to a newly founded MoD 2nd Service. Lithuania’s military intelligence developed new capabilities over a little more than a year of existence, also, its activities were not limited to surveillance of the occupying Soviet forces in Lithuania but also monitored the situation in the neighbourhood.
The 2nd Service was renamed yet again after a year, on 8 January 1993, into the Department of Intelligence, the Immunity Service was called the Department of Counter-intelligence. Both units were merged within several months to form the Intelligence and Counter-intelligence Department which was later renamed as the 2nd Department under the Ministry of National Defence on 1 May 1994, according to traditions of the interwar Lithuania. On 22 July 1997 the Lithuanian military intelligence received the name it still has today: the 2nd Investigation Department under the MoD.
Under the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Intelligence passed on 17 July 2000, the 2nd Investigation Department under MoD was established as an intelligence service covering defence, military-political, military-economic, military-technical areas, as well as activities of National Defence System authorities abroad, and protection of the information comprising state secrets and officials secrets of the National Defence System. On 1 January 2013 an amending act that redefined the intelligence system, drew the limit between counter-intelligence and law enforcement, established the status of intelligence officers and rigorous control mechanisms, and formulated clear-cut principles of the Department operation, came into force. The Second Investigation Department under the Ministry of National Defence began presenting to the public annual activity reports and National Security Threat Assessments on the basis of this act in 2013. The Second Investigation Department under MoD has been co-authoring and presenting to the public National Security Threat Assessments with the State Security Department of the Republic of Lithuania since 2016.
Another fact worth mentioning is that the Second Investigation Department under MoD has been in close cooperation with NATO and European intelligence and counter-intelligence communities and contributes intelligence in support of strategic NATO and European Union decisions, defence and operational planning, since Lithuania became a member of NATO and the European Union in 2004.
On 8 January 2019 the State Defence Council approved the Second Investigation Department Strategy 2019–2024 which outlined the mission and vision of the Department’s activities and clear guidance for long-term capacity-building. The vision: the Second Investigation Department as a trustworthy, professional, innovative, technologically-advanced intelligence authority capable of completing its mission successfully in the shifting environment. The mission: to strengthen national security of the Republic of Lithuania in the area of defence by timely detection, prevention and elimination of emerging threats and warning national security institutions.
The increasing aggression in Russia’s foreign policy, as well as the increasing frequency with which it invokes military force to implement the foreign policy, has become the most important challenge not only for the security but also the intelligence of Lithuania, NATO , and the EU. The main objectives of the Second Investigation Department under MoD with regard to the modern threats are: to ensure timely warning, prevention and elimination of threats; to recruit and retain professional, motivated, and loyal personnel; to support its activities with modern technology and innovative solutions; to ensure effective cooperation with both, authorities responsible for national security of the Republic of Lithuania, and international partners.
The military intelligence of Lithuania has matured over its 30 years of existence into a professional intelligence institution.
