On October 13 Minister of National Defence attended the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) Leaders’ Summit in Visby, Gotland, to address assistance to Ukraine, role of JEF in crises and conflicts and fight against hybrid threats. In the discussion on security threats, the damage caused to the underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea was paid substantial attention.
“JEF nations stand in solidarity, we have agreed on the need to continue the aid to Ukraine and seek long-term commitments,” said A. Anušauskas.
Minister underscored the important role the JEF is fit to play in peacetime measures against hybrid operations. For example, contribute to maritime security awareness in the Baltic Sea so as to prevent such incidents as the damage done to the critical infrastructure recently when the pipeline between Finland and Estonia was affected.
In the discussion on assistance to Ukraine Minister pointed out that Russia was more effective in capability replenishment than it had been expected, therefore Ukraine had to receive all the assistance a victory required. A. Anušauskas also noted that the efforts to integrate Ukraine with the European Union and NATO up to a membership and assist with reform also needed to continue.
The Joint Expeditionary Force is a high-readiness combat unit designed to respond to emergencies in Europe and beyond: from humanitarian assistance to combat operations. The JEF is primarily intended for rapid reaction operations under the flag of the European Union, NATO and the United Nations. JEF elements could be used in Article 5 operations as well.
Led by the United Kingdom, the JEF is composed of maritime, air and land capabilities contributed by 10 Norther European partners: United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.
