Defence
Defmin candidate backs idea of general conscription
Candidate for Lithuania’s defence minister, diplomat Raimundas Karoblis, supports the idea of introducing mandatory conscription to the Armed Forces. […]
Defence
Defence
German troops slightly injured during Iron Sword exercise
Three German solders were slightly injured when several shells landed near them during mortar fire drills as part of the Iron Sword 2016 multinational exercise, the Lithuanian military said on Thursday. […]
Defence
Lithuania demonstrates better defence abilities on Armed Forces Day
As Lithuania marks the Day of Armed Forces on Wednesday, the country’s leaders and top military officers noted the enhanced national and NATO defense capacities amid the continuing dismay over Russia. […]
Defence
National Defence, Security Industries Association gets new chief
Ričardas Sartatavičius has been appointed as the new director of the Lithuanian Defence and Security Industries Association. […]
Defence
New missiles in Kaliningrad aimed at hindering NATO ships’ access
The deployment by Russia of new missiles in its Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad is aimed at restricting access for NATO allies’ ships to the Baltic countries, the Lithuanian Defence Ministry said. […]
Defence
Lithuanian businesses get no access to millions of euros from Boxer contract
The Lithuanian Defence Ministry does not say why it did not make use of the so-called offset mechanism in the procurement of Boxer infantry fighting vehicles, thus not giving local businesses a chance to earn at least 60 million to 80 million euros, the business daily Verslo Žinios reported on Tuesday. […]
Defence
Kazakh, Belarusian arms inspectors to visit NATO exercise
A group of arms control inspectors from Kazakhstan and Belarus are to visit this week military training areas in Lithuania and the Iron Sword 2016 multinational exercise that is currently underway in the country, the Defence Ministry said on Monday. […]
Defence
NATO jets scrambled twice last week over Russian warplanes
NATO air-policing jets were last week scrambled from Lithuania twice to identify and intercept Russian warplanes flying above the Baltic Sea. […]
Defence
No general conscription for Lithuania before 2020
Should Lithuanian politicians decide to introduce general conscription, preparations would take at least four years and require more funding, experts say. […]
CORPORATE
Kojala – we have to remain calm and see NATO as one unit
On Friday the BBC published a text on the fate of the Baltic States with Donald Trump taking power in the United States. The publication points out that Lithuania is afraid of potential Russian aggression […]
Defence
ForMin warns over Russia’s behavior before Trump takes office
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius has expressed his concern about what moves Russian may make in the weeks before Donald Trump becomes US president. […]
Defence
Seimas confirms commitments to NATO, strategic partnership with US
Lithuania’s parliament restated its plans to meet the commitment to NATO in terms of raising defence funding and reasserted the importance of strategic partnership with the United States. […]
Defence
Lithuania halts broadcasting of Russian TV channel for 3 months
Lithuania’s media watchdog decided on Wednesday to suspend the broadcasting of the Russian TV channel RTR Planeta for three months for inciting war, discord and hatred toward nations. […]
Defence
4,000 troops to take part in international exercise Iron Sword
About 4,000 Lithuanian and Allied troops will attend Iron Sword 2016 exercise held in Lithuania in late November through early December, the Defence Ministry said. […]
Defence
Defence
Defence
Some 71% of Poles think Poland should defend Baltics in case of attack
Seventy-one percent of Poles think that their country should defend the Baltic countries if they were attacked, according to a public opinion poll published by the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita. […]
Defence
Is sleeping beauty Kaliningrad Oblast about to wake up?
In early October, the Estonian media reported that Russia was transporting, by ship, Iskander short-range ballistic missiles from Ust Luga (Leningrad Oblast) to the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad (ERR, October 7). This news sparked a wave of commentary by politicians and experts in the Baltic Sea region: most saw this nuclear-capable missile deployment as a provocation. […]
Defence
NATO Forces in Baltic States: numerous but disjointed
As the Baltic States continue to confront Russian air and naval power in the Baltic Sea, two small missile ships, the Zelenyy Dol and the Serpukhov entered this crowded body of water at the end of October. These Russian vessels will reportedly become part of a newly formed Baltic division in the near future (TVNET, October 26). The redeployment of the Zelenyy Dol and Serpukhov is just the latest regional development negatively affecting the security of the Baltic States. None of these three post-Soviet republics has the financial resources available to sufficiently strengthen its own naval capabilities in response. Therefore, in order to defend their sovereignty and ensure the sustainability of their defence sectors, the Baltic States’ naval policies will continue to stress the ability to “fill the gaps” in the full spectrum of Allied maritime operations in the region, Olevs Nikers writes in the Jamestown Foundation. […]
Defence
Lithuania ratifies protocol on Montenegro’s accession to NATO
The Lithuanian parliament ratified on November 3 a protocol on Montenegro‘s accession to NATO. […]