“The Russian war against Ukraine is a turning point, it changes the European and global security irreversibly. Russia poses a lasting military threat, therefore the Alliance has to strengthen its collective deterrence and defence capabilities,” says Vice Minister of National Defence Žilvinas Tomkus.
On April 14 Vice Minister met with NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges David van Weel and Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning Jörg See while on visit to the NATO HQ, Brussels.
“We are not only discussing the immediate measures necessary to strengthen the security of our region but also a long-term NATO adaptation across different sectors of defence and its potential impact on the NATO capability planning process,” states Vice Minister Ž. Tomkus.
The meetings focussed on Lithuania’s defence spending and accelerated Armed Forces modernization, the capacity of the state and the society to face hybrid threats, and energy security.
Vice Minister underscored that Lithuania was not only increasing the defence budget and speeding up priority equipment and weaponry acquisitions, but also enhancing the Host Nation Support capacity to welcome NATO forces. According to Ž. Tomkus, the modern battlefield encompasses different spaces, therefore it is vital to build up national and collective readiness to counter security and defence challenges of hybrid nature.
The Alliance will take decisions on defence adaptation and the new NATO Strategic Concept at the NATO Summit in Madrid on June 29-30.
