28.03.2014 kam.lt

On March 29 Lithuania celebrates its first decade in NATO. On Saturday at noon prompt a celebratory ceremony of hoisting Lithuanian and NATO flags will take place in Simonas Daukantas Square, the Honour Guard Company will present a demonstration programme, gun salute will be fired, and U.S. Air Contingent currently deployed on NATO’s Air Policing mission in the Baltic States will salute Lithuania by a flyover.

President of the Republic of Lithuania and Commander-in-Chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Dalia Grybauskaitė, Minister of National Defence Juozas Olekas and Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius will deliver congratulatory addresses to the nation.

“The Lithuanian Armed Forces have become professional, reliable and prepared for national defence in its own right and alongside NATO allies better than ever before. Membership of the strongest defence alliance is one of the greatest Lithuania’s political achievements that we can justly be proud of,” National Defence Minister J.Olekas says congratulating the nation on this important commemoration.

The ceremony will also be attended by members of the Parliament and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, Ambassadors of NATO and EU member states in Lithuania, Defence Attachés, and representatives of the Ministry of National Defence and the Lithuanian Armed Forces.

Lithuania became a member of the world’s strongest defence alliance when ratification documents of the North Atlantic Treaty were deposited in Washington (U.S.A.) on 29 March 2004. NATO membership is the foundation of Lithuania’s security policy. As a NATO member we are a part of a collective security system where allied solidarity, collective defence guarantees and commitments to one another are the underlying principle.

From the very first day of NATO membership NATO allies began protecting the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia by deploying their military air assets and personnel on NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission. Over the decade of membership as many as 14 NATO member states have rotated their air contingents 34 times to ensure that the Baltic airspace in protected.

Our allies respond immediately to the changes in security situation. The United States of America have sent additional 6 fighter jets to augment the Baltic Air Policing mission currently conducted by a U.S. Air Contingent, while Denmark, the United Kingdom and France have expressed an intent to do so in the future. Lithuania is ready to render all the necessary Host Nation Support for incoming forces in the event of necessity.

Video presentation: „Lithuania – 10 years in NATO“ (by SGT SPC Lukas Kalvaitis )

http://youtu.be/Zk4gG7Oj3Tk

Photo gallery

http://www.kam.lt/en/photo_gallery_1176/the_lithuanian_army_history_219/10_years_in_nato/sladeshow.html

An F-15C Eagle from the 493rd Fighter Squadron takes off from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, March 6, 2014. The 48th Fighter Wing sent an additional six aircraft and more than 50 personnel to support NATO's air policing mission in Lithuania, at the request of U.S. allies in the Baltics. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Emerson Nunez/Released)

March 7, 2014 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- The 48th Fighter Wing has sent additional aircraft and personnel to support NATO's air policing mission in Lithuania, at the request of U.S. allies in the Baltics.

Six F-15C Eagles departed RAF Lakenheath and two KC-135 Stratotankers carrying more than 60 Airmen departed RAF Mildenhall March 6.

Nearly 150 Airmen and four F-15C Eagles from the 48th FW have been supporting the Baltic Air Policing mission out of Šiauliai Air Base, Lithuania, since January as the 48th Air Expeditionary Group.

"This is the advantage of being forward-based," said Col. Mark Ciero, 48th Fighter Wing vice commander. "If called upon, we can quickly respond to support our allies and partners."

Air policing is part of NATO's "Smart Defense" model that incorporates allied nations conducting operations through shared capabilities and coordinated efforts to effectively accomplish missions. NATO countries rotate to provide Airmen and aircraft for the BAP mission, which is slated to continue through 2018.

In the last decade, 14 NATO nations have participated in this mission. This deployment marks the fourth rotation for U.S. forces.

At right, Juozas Olekas, Lithuania's defense minister, speaks Monday during a hearing at the European Parliament. At left is Arnaud Danjean, chairman of the parliament's Security and Defence Subcommittee. (Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense)

Oct. 17, 2013 - By JULIAN HALE – Defense News

BRUSSELS — Lithuania, the current holder of the EU’s rotating presidency, wants EU leaders meeting at a summit here in December to begin updating the EU’s 10-year-old security strategy by, among other things, including cybersecurity and energy security.

It also wants to see the decline in Europe’s defense spending and EU partnerships in security and defense addressed at the summit.

“Over the past 10 years, the world outside Europe has become more unsafe, more volatile and more radical. Meanwhile, Europe itself has become more introverted, politically less ambitious and militarily less able to deal with emerging security challenges, even in neighboring territories,” Lithuanian Defense Minister Juozas Olekas told members of the European Parliament in a speech Monday.

“In the review of the strategy, Europeans will need to think well beyond the problems in our vicinity. We cannot ignore the fact that the US, which over decades was deploying considerable forces in Western Europe will, in the future, focus increasingly on other parts of the world.” Olekas said. “Therefore, Europe will need to rethink its global role, including the role of military force within its strategy.”

He added that cybersecurity and energy security “are conspicuous by their absence in the current strategy,” and yet “are the ones which are currently the most pressing for Lithuania and a number of other European countries.”

NATO has a Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia, and an Energy Security Centre in Vilnius, Lithuania.

“The establishment of these centers is a reflection of the growing security threats in our region and beyond,” he said.

Olekas said he wants to see EU leaders discuss cybersecurity and energy security issues in greater depth at the EU summit in December.

“Their distinguishing feature is complexity. This means that the response to threats of this nature must also be complex — ranging from regulation, standard-setting and targeted investments to active diplomacy, deterrents and responses,” he said.

“The European Union, with its expertise, political and economic leverages, and with its institutions, is currently better placed than anyone to take the lead in dealing with such non-military issues as cyber threats and energy insecurity.” he said. “Naturally, problems of this kind can only be solved in close cooperation with other countries and organizations, not least NATO. … I would like to hope that also in this area, the December European Council will set ambitious guidelines for the European Union.”

With regard to EU partnerships in the field of security and defense, he bemoaned the fact that “there is no regular security dialogue between the European Union and its neighbors, let alone military cooperation programs.”

In this context, he described the use of the paid services of private companies to compensate for capability shortfalls without turning to partners first as “another deeply flawed practice in EU operations.

“Thus, the European Union Training Mission in Mali recently hired medical evacuation helicopters, at a cost of €2.5 million for six months. Next year, we are likely to pay over €5 million for this service,” Olekas said. “And yet, the European Union has not once approached its partners who have such capabilities and who might be able to provide them on much better terms.”

Referring to European Defence Agency data that says EU defense spending dropped by 10 percent from 2005 to 2010 and by as much again from 2010 to 2013, he warned that “left unfettered, this process will have profound and far-reaching consequences not just for the European defense industry, but also for Europe’s position in the world. There is no getting away from the fact that the December European Council will have to pay considerable attention to defense funding issues.”

Olekas also played down expectations in terms of new projects arising from the December EU summit.

“These days, when European countries [including Lithuania] refer to the ‘development of military capabilities,’ we are actually talking not so much about development, but rather about the management of decline. Therefore, any talk of, and calls for, the December meeting of EU national leaders to announce new, ambitious projects and initiatives cannot be really taken seriously.

“Countering the decline in actual defense spending could be an ambitious enough objective for national leaders to set themselves for the moment,” he added.

The Lithuanian defense minister also argued energy costs could be sharply reduced through more efficient technologies and processes.

“Savings made in the more efficient running of military barracks, using less fuel-thirsty vehicles or renewable resources, could be invested into the required military capabilities,” he said.

Sep. 4, 2013 - By JULIAN HALE – Defense News

BRUSSELS — European Union defense ministers will meet informally in Vilnius, Lithuania, Sept. 5 and 6 to discuss two key defense policy reports ahead of a summit of EU leaders on defense in Brussels in December.

One report, by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, focuses on the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), and the other is a European Commission report aimed at creating a more competitive and efficient European security and defense sector.

Discussions on Ashton report will home in on two proposals. The first urges increasing the effectiveness, visibility and impact of the CSDP, and enhancing the development of defense capabilities.

Ashton’s report calls for making cyber infrastructure more secure and resilient withing the EU and elsewhere. She is also pushing for the issue of more common EU funding to be addressed by member states and wants ministers to approve a new approach to the EU’s rapid response assets, including battlegroups, in November. The latter ties in with one of Lithuania’s priorities for its six-month presidency of the European Union (June to December), namely to increase the effectiveness of EU battlegroups as a crisis management tool.

The second proposal calls on EU governments to share their plans on major projects in areas such as aerial refueling, umanned aircraft, cyber operations and satellite communications. However, no update on pooling and sharing projects is planned during the defense ministers’ meeting.

During the meeting, Lithuania stress issues that are on its EU presidency agenda, such as the development of the EU’s response to emerging challenges in the energy security, cyber, maritime and space domains. Military energy efficiency also is a particular focus for Lithuania.

During a working dinner on Thursday, ministers will be briefed by the chairman of the Military Committee and the Operation Commanders on the ongoing military CSDP operations (Althea, Atalanta, EUTM Somalia, EUTM Mali) and will discuss partnerships in the context of operations. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will attend on Thursday and has said he will discuss EU-NATO defense cooperation.

The Syria crisis is not on the agenda but is expected to be discussed. However, Syria will also be discussed by EU foreign ministers at their informal meeting Sept. 6 and 7.

TALLINN, May 26 (RIA Novosti)

Estonia completed on Saturday large-scale military drills, which began on May 9 and involved some 5,000 military personnel, including from NATO allies, the General Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces said.

The Spring Storm (Kevadtorm) drills have been held annually in different parts of Estonia since 2003. This year they were held in northern and central Estonia and involved for the first time units from the UK, Belgium and Poland as well as the Estonian navy.

“Our military servicemen gained experience of cooperation with pilots from Poland, air defense experts from Belgium, infantrymen from Britain, Latvia and Lithuania by participating in joint drills,” Estonian Commander in Chief Gen.-Maj. Riho Terras said at a line-up in the village of Kuusalu.

NATO allies were represented by an infantry company from the UK and Latvia each, a reconnaissance platoon from Lithuania and an anti-aircraft missile platoon from Belgium.

The exercise also involved Polish attack aircraft SU-22, Estonia's training jets L-39, light helicopters R-44, light transport planes An-2 and French Mirage F-1 aircraft, according to Estonian newspaper Postimees.

President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves attended the large-scale military exercise on May 17.

Estonia, as well as two other ex-Soviet republics in the Baltics - Latvia and Lithuania, joined NATO in March 2004.