Lithuanian parliament supports Jauniškis’ appointment as security chief

His nomination was supported by 107 parliamentarians, one abstained. According to the Constitution, the security chief is appointed and dismissed by the president, subject to parliament’s approval.

In his presentation at parliament, Jauniškis emphasized that the State Security Department should take a leading role in prevention of threats to the state. Speaking about the priorities of the department’s operations, the candidate said it needed to step up counter-intelligence operations and communication with the public, as well as pay more attention to personnel selection.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė, who proposed Jauniškis for the post, said she expected the new security chief to take responsibility and ensure that the State Security Department did not only identify threats but also eliminated them.

Jauniškis, 47, currently heads the Lithuanian army’s Special Operations Force. He has been serving in the national defence system since it was restored in the early 1990s.

Earlier on Thursday, parliament dismissed Gediminas Grina from security chief post after expiry of his five-year term. President Grybauskaitė has criticized him, saying that the department merely observes national security threats and waves a red flag, but does nothing to eliminate them.