On May 28–30 former Chief of the Defence Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Maj Gen (Ret.) Vitalijus Vaikšnoras attended meetings of Ukraine’s strategic-level Defence Reform Advisory Board held in Kyiv. The meetings addressed progress achieved in the reform, Ukraine’s internal changes and work for the nearest while.
Maj Gen (Ret.) V. Vaikšnoras was appointed as Representative of Lithuania at the international Defence Reform Advisory Board on May 24 by Minister of National Defence R. Karoblis as a continuation of the work begun by former Chief of Defence of Lithuania Maj Gen (Ret.) Jonas Andriškevičius in the autumn of 2016.
The Lithuanian Representative at the Defence Reform Advisory Board supervises the area of officers’ professionalization and reform in Ukraine’s professional military training and education system. Two more advisors of the Lithuanian Armed Forces working at the NATO Representation to Ukraine in Kyiv coordinate officer training and NCO system establishment and development.
The strategic-level Defence Reform Advisory Board was established in order to ensure implementation of the reform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and defence, high-level strategic advisors were requested d to provide recommendations to the Reform Committee of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, President, Minister of Defence, and the Chief of the General Staff of Ukraine on the matters concerning the reform. The Board includes representatives of the U.S., UK, Canada, Poland, and Germany.
While in Kyiv, Maj Gen (Ret.) Vitalijus Vaikšnoras also met with members of the Multinational Joint Commission (MJC) and attended a George C. Marshall Security Studies Centre seminar for high-ranking ministerial defence officials and military officers of Ukraine on C2 system reform.
Lithuania has been providing political support and assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014. The Lithuanian Armed Forces assists Ukraine’s reforms in military training and education area, helps to introduce western standards in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in order to increase interoperability with NATO allies’ militaries. Soldiers of Ukraine are invited to study at military education institutions of Lithuania, Lithuania finances studies of Ukraine’s officers at the Baltic Defence College.
Lithuanian soldiers do not take part in combat actions in Ukraine and in the Anti-Terrorism Operation area directly. Since 2015 instructors of the Lithuanian Armed Forces have been assisting in training and enhancing the Ukrainian military as part of the U.S.-led Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine, also, on the basis of a Seimas mandate ,up to 60 military instructors and civilian personal of the national defence system can take part in the Lithuanian Military Training Mission in Ukraine established in 2017.
Photo credits: Ministry of Defence of Ukraine