Minister of National Defence Dovilė Šakalienė is conducting a visit to the United States on March 2 through 7.
“The situation is tense, therefore we have to work harder than ever. We can only support Ukraine effectively if we invest in proper defence of the whole Europe, develop our defence industry as a strategic sector and use the green corrido. If we really wish to help Ukraine, we need to get this homework done at an unprecedented pace.
We will be particularly focused on bilateral meetings with the U.S. defence industry companies. We wish to attract constructions of advanced equipment factories in Lithuania. Our goal is not just to get ready for extended production but also to demonstrate to other countries that we mean business when we say we are going to manufacture in volume and quickly as we put defence industry among real-life priorities,” said Minister of National Defence before departing for the U.S.
D. Šakalienė is going to meet with representatives of the largest U.S. defence industry companies – RTX, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, AM General, etc.
Lithuania has acquired weaponry worth of approx. EUR 2 billion from the United States over the past 3 years thus becoming the biggest buyer of U.S. defence goods among the Baltic states. Procurement from the U.S. makes up nearly 20% of all the Lithuanian acquisitions.
Lithuania’s purchases from the United States include the Javelin anti-tank missile systems, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, Black Hawk helicopters, HIMARS High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, AMRAAM missiles for the NASAMS mid-range air defence systems, Switchblade drones, etc.
According to D. Šakalienė, we have to maintain strong transatlantic bond between Europe and the United States because we need each other. “The quality of our cooperation will in large part depend on the European countries’ urgent investment in defence. Lithuania takes full responsibility: we have made an open declaration of our commitment and we are working with our regional partners. In the meanwhile, Europe has proven more than once it can handle even the biggest of crises. The EU has the financial capacity, all we need to do is mobilize fully. And the reasons are not far away either,” said Minister.
Minister will have meetings with Adjutant-General of Pennsylvania Major General John R. Pippy: the Pennsylvania National Guard has been supporting the Lithuanian Armed Forces for three decades. She will also bilaterally meet with Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro, Congressmen and Ryan D. McCarthy, former Secretary of the Army from the first administration of President D.Trump, as well as tale part in closed discussion a the Atlantic Council and the Hudson Institute.
The United States has consistently backed our military capability development efforts and has been deploying heavy battalions for uninterrupted presence in Lithuania since 2019. The U.S. Battalion deployed since 2022 has been reinforced with an artillery unit. The U.S. force presence in Lithuania is a critical deterrent and security guarantee for the Baltic states.
