Nov 5, 2015 ASDNews Source : Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA)

The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Lithuania for Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicles and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $599 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on November 4, 2015.

The Government of Lithuania has requested a sale of eighty-four (84) M 1126 Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicles (ICV) with the ATK 30mm cannon, the XM813 30mm cannon or a European variant with the Remote Weapon Station and eighty-four (84) M2 Flex Machine Guns. Additionally, they have requested the ICV-30 package, including contractor logistics support, support equipment, spare parts, armaments, two (2) AN/PRC-152 Radios per vehicle, one (l) AN/PSN-13 DAGR per vehicle, one (l) VIC-3 per vehicle, training aids/devices/simulators & simulations (TADSS), translated technical manuals with laptop computers, training, Foreign Service Representatives (FSRs), OCONUS Contractor vehicle deprocessing services and technical assistance. The total estimated value of MDE is $462 million. The overall total estimated value is $599 million.

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Sep 29, 2015 by Richard Tomkins(UPI)

Lithuania on Tuesday signed an agreement to procure 21 PzH2000 self-propelled howitzers from the German Armed Forces.

The deal for the 155mm guns, as well as vehicles and other equipment, is worth nearly $65 million.

The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense said 16 of the guns will be usable for combat purposes, two will be used for training firing and driving skills, and three for spare parts.

"The changed geopolitical situation and lessons learned from the conflicts in Georgia and Ukraine have made the Lithuanian Armed Forces prioritize an efficient fire support to maneuver units on the course of its development," said Minister of National Defence Juozas Olekas. "Looking for solution, we turned to Germany, our ally, and its understanding and good will has helped us come up with a compromise on the procurement on one of the most modern self-propelled howitzers in the world within a particularly short time.

"That is a clear demonstration that Germany understands the reasons behind our security concerns and is sending a clear signal that it stands firmly by Lithuania."

The other equipment being purchased from Germany includes 26 M577 V2 armored command vehicles and six BPZ2 recovery tanks.

Also included in the deal is training for Lithuanian troops who will use the self-propelled howitzers, which will begin to arrive in Lithuania next year.

September 15, 2015: Strategy page

Fear of Russia is creating a new military alliance in northern Europe. Since 2014 Sweden and Finland, while not NATO members, have been training with other Baltic states (Denmark, Norway, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) that are. This year Sweden and Finland participated (along with 15 other nations) in the BALTOPS naval exercise. The 5,600 troops involved were mainly concerned with confirming that everyone’s equipment, procedures and communications worked as needed for joint naval and amphibious operations.

One of the things the 2015 BALTOPS was concerned with was defending Gotland; a key Swedish island between Sweden and Latvia. Whoever controls Gotland dominates the eastern Baltic and access to most of the Swedish coastline. BALTOPS planners also examined retaking Gotland if Russia were to seize it, which Sweden sees as an increasing possibility. Sweden now plans to increase the Gotland garrison and build more fortifications.

BALTOPS also worked on amphibious operations in the Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia), which are now NATO members and threatened by Russia. Sweden and Finland have long been allies and are increasing their military cooperation and coordination.

10 June 2015 by Royal Air Force
 

RAF Typhoons made a “two-in-one” interception, launching to find and identify Russian aircraft in two different places over the Baltic Sea as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

A pair of Typhoons were scrambled this morning from Ämari Air base in Estonia to intercept an unknown aircraft tracking the Baltic airspace without having filed a flight plan. Having identified it as an Il-20M Coot A surveillance aircraft, they were then re-tasked whilst still airborne to check out another aircraft. It was seen to be an An-26 Curl transport aircraft going north from Kaliningrad.

These two intercepts resulted from close teamwork between the Estonian Air Force and the RAF Air Surveillance and Control System (ASACS) detachment at Ämari. ASACS detachment commander, Flight Lieutenant Paul “Griff” Griffin explained: “The Estonian controllers will have seen it on their radar picture. They evaluate speed, heading, height and whether it has a flight plan. They give it an appropriate ID coloured according to their assessment of its intent. We saw this one show up in a sea of green.”

He continued: “My job as the 121 EAW representative is to provide input to NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre at Uedem in Germany. It’s almost like a bidding process. Every unit identifies what they can do. In this case the Typhoons were given a ‘Yes’ and one of the Estonians hit the ‘Scramble’ button. As our aircraft get in the air, it’s my job to vector them on. Steering them left, right, faster, slower to get them behind the unknown aircraft.”

Sgt Chris Ashcroft, in the ASACS detachment takes-up the story: “My part is to generate the air picture – so it can be seen in the cockpit to increase the situational awareness of the Typhoon pilots. It takes a bit of training to ensure they have the right footprint visible”.

Interception of two aircraft on the same sortie demonstrates the flexible capability of the RAF Typhoons in policing Baltic airspace and making it safer for civilian air traffic. Detachment Commander, Wing Commander Stu Smiley said: “As we enter our second month of policing the Baltic airspace, this is the fourth intercept tasking we have had. It’s much as expected. Today’s double intercept easily demonstrates the capability we bring to the mission”.

Flt Lt Griffin simply summed it up: “ It’s a bit like waiting for a bus. You wait so long and then two turn up at once. But we are trained to do that.”

18/03/2015 Živilė KALIBATAITĖ -  IRSEM

La place de la coopération régionale dans la démarche stratégique d’un petit État européen. Le cas de la Lituanie.

Fiche de l'IRSEM n°37 - 2015

Des soldats lituaniens subissent un entraînement aux opérations en zone urbaine, au centre international d’entraînement aux opérations de maintien de la paix, près de Yavoriv (Ukraine), le 14 septembre 2013, dans le cadre de l’exercice Maple Arch 2013 (caporal-chef David McCord/Affaires publiques/Armée de terre/5e Division canadienne)

24 février 2015 45eNord.ca (AFP)

La Lituanie va rétablir temporairement le service militaire obligatoire, vu l’actuel environnement géopolitique, a indiqué mardi la présidente lituanienne Dalia Grybauskaite, alors que ce pays balte craint le grand voisin russe, son ancienne puissance dominante.

Nous devons rétablir temporairement le service militaire obligatoire, a déclaré la présidente après une réunion d’urgence du Conseil national de défense. L’actuel environnement géopolitique requiert un renforcement et une accélération du recrutement pour l’armée, a-t-elle ajouté.

Le projet, qui doit encore obtenir l’approbation du parlement, prévoit un appel sous les drapeaux limité à 3.500 hommes par an, âgés de 19 à 26 ans, pour une période de neuf mois.

Les premiers conscrits devront se présenter dans les casernes cet automne.

La Lituanie avait abandonné le service militaire obligatoire en 2008, quatre ans après son adhésion à l’Otan. Son armée de métier compte actuellement 8.000 hommes, à qui s’ajoutent quelque 4.500 réservistes.

18.01.2015 news.gc.ca

L’honorable Rob Nicholson, C.P., c.r., député de Niagara Falls et ministre de la Défense nationale, accueillera officiellement le ministre de la Défense nationale de la Lituanie, Juozas Olekas, à Ottawa, le 19 et le 20 janvier 2015. Les ministres auront l’occasion de réaffirmer les liens étroits entre le Canada et la Lituanie, et de discuter d’un nombre de préoccupations communes en matière de défense et de sécurité, y compris les menaces continues le long des frontières de la région des États baltes et de l’Europe de l’Est.

En bref

• Le Canada a été l’un des premiers alliés à ratifier l’adhésion de la Lituanie à l’OTAN en 2004.
• Entre 1994 et 2009, le Canada a fourni de la formation linguistique, d’état-major et de perfectionnement professionnel à environ 450 officiers militaires lituaniens dans le cadre du Programme d’instruction et de coopération militaires (PICM) du ministère de la Défense nationale.

Citations

« En tant qu’alliés de l’OTAN, le Canada et la Lituanie entretiennent un lien inaltérable et solidement établi grâce à notre engagement envers le principe de défense collective. J’ai hâte d’échanger ouvertement des points de vue avec le ministre Olekas en ce qui concerne de nombreux enjeux relatifs à la défense et à la sécurité qui sont communs à nos deux pays. Je me réjouis également à perspective de réaffirmer l’engagement solide du Canada envers la sécurité et la stabilité de la Lituanie et de la région des États baltes. »

L’honorable Rob Nicholson
C.P., c.r., député de Niagara Falls et ministre de la Défense nationale

Liens connexes

Relations Canada-Lituanie

Le gouvernement du Canada va envoyer des CF18 en Lituanie pour la mission de police aérienne de l’OTAN dans les États baltes

Tallinn, 20 nov 2014 Marine & Océans (AFP)

Le secrétaire général de l'Otan Jens Stoltenberg a commencé jeudi une tournée éclair en Estonie, en Lettonie et en Lituanie destinée à rassurer ces petits pays membres de l'Otan, inquiets du comportement de la Russie dans le conflit ukrainien.

"L'Otan est là pour protéger et défendre l'Estonie", a-t-il dit sur la base aérienne d'Ämari (nord), où il a rencontré le Premier ministre estonien Taavi Roivas, ainsi que des militaires américains, allemands et estoniens.

Il a notamment félicité Tallinn pour avoir dépensé 2% de son PIB pour la défense, la donnant en exemple aux autres membres de l'Alliance, et rappelant "son rôle de leader dans le renforcement de la cyberdéfense". L'Estonie est considérée comme un des pays les plus avancés dans le développement de technologies numériques. Elle accueille cette semaine Cyber Coalition 2014, le plus grand exercice cybernétique dans l'histoire de l'Otan.

M. Stoltenberg a évoqué aussi l'augmentation du nombre de vols d'avions militaires russes autour de l'Estonie et d'autres pays de l'Otan. "Nous avons eu plus de 100 interception (d'avions russes), ce qui est le triple de l'année dernière", a-t-il dit.

Interrogé sur la vente de deux navires de guerre Mistral français à la Russie, M. Stoltenberg s'est abstenu de tout commentaire. "L'Otan de vend pas de matériel militaire, ce sont les Etats qui le font. Ce n'est pas à l'Otan de décider comment ils doivent conduire leurs affaires", a-t-il dit.

Il devait se rendre jeudi après-midi à Riga et visiter la Lituanie vendredi.

A Riga, il suivra de près la secrétaire d'Etat adjointe américaine pour l'Europe Victoria Nuland, qui s'y est arrêtée en route pour l'Ukraine pour accompagner le vice-président Joe Biden. Elle y a déclaré que les Etats-Unis "attendaient toujours de voir l'engagement de la Russie et des séparatistes" à appliquer les accords de Minsk, citant "un vrai cessez-le-feu sur la ligne de contact, la fermeture de la frontière internationale et le retrait des forces étrangères" du territoire ukrainien.

The Latvian Chief of Defence meeting British soldiers during a NATO training exercise

5 September 2014 Ministry of Defence and The Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has signed a letter of intent with international partners to develop the Joint Expeditionary Force.

The letter of intent, signed with partners from Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway, aims to develop the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) so that it is fully operational before 2018.

The JEF is a pool of high readiness, adaptable forces that is designed to enhance the UK’s ability to respond rapidly, anywhere in the world, with like-minded allies, or on behalf of international organisations such as the UN or NATO.

The UK’s contribution will include the lead commando, airborne, armoured, aviation, air and maritime task groups.

The Defence Secretary said:

I am very pleased that we have signed a letter of intent with our partners to establish the Joint Expeditionary Force.

This will be developed around the UK’s existing high readiness units and will provide a capability that can respond anywhere in the world, in any environment, as part of a coalition, or on behalf of international organisations such as the UN and NATO.

We are stronger together. Our partners from Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway have all agreed to attach forces to the JEF when the time is right for us to stand together.

The signing ceremony took place with all 28 defence ministers in Cardiff aboard HMS Duncan on 4 September at the NATO Summit. During the signing, discussions took place on how the agreement will allow the UK and JEF partners to continue with the excellent operational co-operation that has been achieved to date in places like Afghanistan.

The force will provide the UK’s focus for developing flexible, rapid response forces for NATO, or other coalition operations, to meet together the challenges of an unpredictable world. Through the UK-led JEF, a model for others to follow as well as a focus for fairer defence burden-sharing is being provided.

For the latest updates visit the NATO Summit Wales 2014 page on GOV.UK and @NATOWales on Twitter.

The aim is to create a UK military framework, focused around its existing high readiness capabilities, that its partners can join up with. While it is the UK’s intention to fully integrate the UK’s JEF partners’ contributions before 2018, the JEF could deploy immediately if required.

Photo credits: I.Budzeikaitė and LITHSOF

2014.06.30 kam.lt

On June 29 personnel of the Lithuanian Special Operations Force’s Aitvaras squadron departed from the province of Zabul of Afghanistan. The Lithuanian military have transferred the responsibility for security in the province to local security forces thus successfully completing the task entrusted to them by NATO and leadership of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Since 2007 Lithuanian Special Operations Squadron has been completing high-intensity combat assignments in Zabul province of Afghanistan as part of NATO’s ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) and trained for carrying out its duties a special rapid response company of Afghan National Police in Zabul.

Having left Zabul the Lithuanian Special Operations Forces personnel are still acting as part of NATO operation in Afghanistan and are completing combat tasks in Kandahar province where their assignment is to provide training for the special rapid response company of the Afghan National Police in Kandahar.

The formal transfer of responsibility for security ceremony y was held in Zabul on June 4. “The fact that we are able to finalise the training we have been providing for local security forces and to transfer the responsibility for security for the special company of the Afghan National Police in Zabul is a clear evidence that our Special Operations Forces troops are successful with reaching the objectives of the multinational operation in Afghanistan,” Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Arvydas Pocius said at the ceremony.

While completing the tasks of NATO operation in Zabul Lithuanian military received plenty of praises from allies for their readiness level and the ease with which they were fulfilling the most complex of the tasks.

The tasks of the Lithuanian Special Operations Forces troops in Zabul was to train officers of the special company of the Afghan National Police and to prepare them for independent completion of their duties: from operational planning and completion of tasks to operational control.

Also, Lithuanian troops were completing special operations of different spectra (special reconnaissance, identification and neutralisation of enemy commanders) to enhance the effect of training and contribute to the improvement of the security situation in the province. While delivering training Lithuanians not only delivered their experience for their Afghan students but also earned the trust of the local security forces.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond at Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania [Picture: Corporal Neil Bryden RAF, Crown copyright]

6 May 2014 Ministry of Defence

Philip Hammond has visited Royal Air Force personnel deployed to Lithuania as part of the Nato Baltic air policing mission.

Mr Hammond said:

We want to make very clear that we stand by our commitments to our Nato allies.

The deployment of these state-of-the art Typhoon jets to reinforce the Baltic air policing mission, and the extra British troops to exercises in Estonia, underlines our commitment to our partners in the region.

The UK, alongside our international partners, remains steadfast in our condemnation of Russia’s behaviour and we urge the Russian government to take the appropriate steps to de-escalate the crisis.

The Baltic air policing standing defensive mission is undertaken by rotations of aircraft from contributing nations on a 4-month cycle.

NATO members such as the Baltic states, who do not have their own air policing assets, are assisted by others.

Three US Air Force F-15C fighters on the tarmac at Lithuania’s Šiauliai air base, where they recently reinforced the Baltic Air Police mission which is currently marking its 10th anniversary. (Lithuania AF photo)

April 3, 2014 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Lithuanian Ministry of Defence; issued April 2, 2014)

Delegation of Foreign and Defence Ministers Will Pay A Visit to the Šiauliai Air Base in the Margins of Vilnius Conference 2014

On April 3 a delegation of foreign and defence ministers of NATO member states and high-ranking NATO officials, participants of the international Vilnius Conference 2014 held to mark Lithuania’s 10th anniversary of NATO membership on April 3-4, will be conducting a visit in the Lithuanian Air Force Base in Šiauliai.

Minister of National Defence Juozas Olekas will meet the delegation, then the guests will proceed to the Quick Reaction Alert area of the Air Base where air contingents of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission are deployed, view F-15 C Eagle aircraft of the U.S. Air Contingent currently in charge of the mission, and observe their flights.

Minister J. Olekas will present the Medal of Merit to Colonel Harold Van Pee, commander of the first rotation of the Belgian Air Force’s contingent which opened the Baltic Air Policing mission on 29 March, 2004. Another medal will be awarded to the commander of the 2nd Belgian rotation, Major Olivier van der Linden, at the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Belgium.

The Šiauliai Air Base and Vilnius Conference 2014 is expected to be attended by the heads and delegations of the foreign and defence ministries of Albania, Georgia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Macedonia, Croatia, and Romania, NATO Deputy Secretary General, and other high-ranking NATO officials.

The international Vilnius Conference 2014 is organised on April 3–4 by the President’s Office and Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Defence in collaboration with the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence, Vytautas Magnus University and the Centre for Geopolitical Studies.

The main theme of the conference is NATO’s open door policy. At the event discussions will be held on the importance of NATO enlargement, future vision for the Alliance and partner countries’ role in it.