„The historic times we are witnessing need historic leadership and decisions; today NATO is transforming its posture through the modern forward defence. NATO Allies stand ready to defend every inch of NATO territory. I am sure that the Vilnius Summit will be a success, and our resolve can make it historic,” said Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas in his keynote address Friday at a conference in Washington held by the Atlantic Council Analytical Centre in partnership with the Ministry of National Defence.
The conference was held to discuss the agenda of the oncoming NATO Summit in Vilnius, implementation of the NATO forward defence, and strengthening security in the eastern part of the Alliance. At the event, Minister shared insights on the regional security situation, collective defence commitments and assistance to Ukraine.
“To move ahead on NATO’s forward defence, we need credible warfighting plans with assigned forces ready to fight and win, a secure European sky with more air defence assets in the eastern part of the Alliance, ambitious defence investment of two percent of GDP at the minimum. We all have to deliver on it in Vilnius. It has to come with an ambitious implementation timeline,” noted A. Anušauskas.
Minister also emphasized the importance of U.S. military presence in Lithuania, Lithuania’s efforts to improve military infrastructure and training conditions for Allied troops, enhanced cybersecurity and cooperation with the Indo-Pacific region.
“The Euro-Atlantic area is not at peace. We can only return to peace by helping Ukraine win and cooperating with the like-minded nations in all parts of the world. We need collective action to address emerging challenges,” A. Anušauskas said at the conference.
The conference is held as part of ongoing project on “Ahead and after the Vilnius Summit: Priorities for Updating Alliance” conducted by the Ministry of National Defence and the Atlantic Council. The project aims to strengthen deterrence and defence in the eastern flank of NATO, facilitate emergence of new practical initiatives to boost security and defence of countries in the Baltic region.
