Contents tagged with Lithuania
-
Lithuanian MoD: NATO fighters escorted Russian aircraft over the Baltic five times last week
NATO jets escorted Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea on five occasions last week, BaltNews reported with reference to the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.
On June 23rd, NATO fighters escorted a Russian IL-20 cargo plane flying in international airspace from the Kaliningrad exclave. The aircraft was following its flight plan, but its transponder was turned off. A Russian Tu-134 cargo plane was also intercepted on Thursday for the same reason.
On the same day, a Russian Su-27 fighter …
-
Lithuania receives first shipment of military hardware from Germany
On Friday, the Armed Forces of Lithuania received two 155 mm self-propelled PzH2000 (Panzerhaubitze 2000) howitzers from the German Bundeswehr, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported, citing a statement issued by the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.
“Lithuanian soldiers will soon start training to master the newly received advanced and particularly capable equipment and the first shots are expected to be fired within several months at Exercise Flaming Thunder,” the statement read.
The delivery of the …
-
Lithuania reinstates general military conscription
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė has signed the law on the introduction of universal military service in the country on an ongoing basis.
According to the Lithuanian news portal Delfi, the law, previously approved by the Council of State Defense, provides for the transition of the Lithuanian army from fully professional to a mixed-type system. At the moment, more than ten thousand people are serving in the Armed Forces of Lithuania.
Previously, the introduction of universal …
-
Lithuania to buy Javelin anti-tank missiles from the US
The Ministry of Defense of Lithuania announced that the Lithuanian army will acquire Javelin portable anti-tank missiles and supporting equipments from US. The deal is worth 8 million dollars and is based on a previously signed agreement with the two countries
“The acquisition of Javelin portable anti-tank missiles will be made to further strengthen the capabilities of the Lithuanian army,” a press release stated.
The Lithuanian Ministry of defense further elaborated that the purchase will be …
-
Second stage of NATO exercises begin in Lithuania
The second part of NATO’s Gelezinis Vilkas 2016 military exercise have begun at the Gaižiūnai site in Lithuania. Germany, Denmark, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the US and France will participate in these large-scale exercises. RBC-Ukraine states that this was reported by the press service of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.
“An international unit of the battalion level, which was established based on the Danish Armed Forces, will be tested during these exercises, which will then take on an …
-
Lithuanian Ambassador in Kiev: Cooperation between Ukraine and NATO continues to increase
Marius Janukonis, Lithuania's Ambassador to Ukraine, stated in an interview with Apostrof that recently, the level of cooperation between NATO and Ukraine has increased significantly. The country appears certain of counting on the Alliance’s support in modernizing its defense system.
"There are more events, more Ukrainian servicemen engaged in military exercises at NATO standards, more servicemen involved in joint exercises,” a diplomat described.
“A serious reform of the Ukrainian Defense …
-
Lithuania and Romania demand that NATO’s presence be strengthened for protection against Russia
Lithuania and Romania are seeking opportunities to strengthen security and increase deterrents against aggression. The President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė, and the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, demand an increased presence of NATO in their countries. The heads of both countries stated this during a joint press conference in Vilnius during President Iohannis’s visit to Lithuania, Deutsche Welle reported.
“We understand the ongoing situation in Romania in the Black Sea that arose …
-
Lithuania to increase defense budget
According to an estimate of the Ministry of Finance, Lithuania intends to increase defense spending by 150 million euros next year, up to 725 million euros, Kauno Diena reported.
The current Lithuanian military budget is 575 million euros, approximately 1.48% of the country’s GDP. It is expected that next year's defense spending will rise to 725 million euros, or 1.77% of GDP.
According to Lithuanian Minister of Defense Juozas Olekas, the country plans to spend 2% of GDP on defense in 2018. …
-
Polish, Czech, Slovak, and Lithuanian delegations will not attend Victory Day parade in Moscow
Polish Minister of National Defense Antoni Macierewicz said that the Polish delegation will not take part in the celebration of Victory Day, which will be held on May 9 in Moscow. According to the newspaper Gazeta Polska Codziennie, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania have also decided not to attend.
"All the celebrations associated with Victory Day will take place in Poland," the Polish Ministry of Defense announced.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense of Slovakia, in a …
-
New US military contingent begins its work in Lithuania
New U.S. troops stationed in Rukla, Lithuania have begun their work, as reported by delfi.lt.
According to the news portal, the contingent consists of about 260 servicemen. The American troops will continue exercises through the end of June in Lithuania. U.S. ground troops in Lithuania and other Baltic States have been revolving since the spring of 2014.
Other allies have sent troops to Lithuania on an irregular basis; however the decision on whether to deploy a regular battalion consisting …