Video report (by Lukas Kalvaitis and Žilvinas Danys)
On November 23 servicemembers lined up in a solemn formation on the Cathedral Square in Vilnius to mark the 101th anniversary of the Re-established Lithuanian Armed Forces. Platoons of all services and units of the Lithuanian Armed Forces flew their unit flags and stood in the same formation side by side with colleagues from the countries taking part in the NATO enhance Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group, soldiers serving in the Joint Lithuanian, Polish and Ukrainian Brigade LITPOLUKRBIG, and soldiers of the U.S. Battalion deployed in Lithuania.
Troops were saluted by President of the Republic of Lithuania HE Gitanas Nausėda, Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis and Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lieutenant General Valdemaras Rupšys. The ceremony was observed by an abundant crowd of Vilnius residents of guests who braved the chilly weather.
“Defence of the state is the responsibility of all of us, not just the armed forces and the politicians. If we don’t defend ourselves, we will not be defended,” Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis emphasised in this address. Minister expressed delight about the strong support of the society the Lithuanian Armed Forces enjoyed and the strong motivation and great military training he saw in the soldiers.
Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lt Gen Valdemaras Rupšys stressed in his address that “the combat power of the Lithuanian Armed Forces has grown — we are acquiring new military equipment and weaponry that are operated by motivated soldiers. However, the strength of the Lithuanian Armed Forces depends not only on the amount and quality of it equipment. We have a persistent and demanding work ahead of us every day to make all the upgrades, new equipment and weaponry work like a synchronised and unstalling mechanism. It is our future – when the soldiers will have to spend plenty of time learning, training and mastering new defensive capabilities.”
Participants and audience of the event were greeted with a flypast of the Royal Danish Air Force and the Belgian Air Component F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets currently conducting the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states. After the ceremony, the parade marched down Gediminas Avenue to Independence Square.
The order regarding reestablishment of the Lithuanian Armed Forces was signed on 23 November 1918, and this date is commemorated as Lithuanian Armed Forces Day. Every year on this day solemn events are organised not only in Vilnius but also in other Lithuanian cities.
Photo credits: Alfredas Pliadis and Sgt Spc Ieva Budzeikaitė
