Defence
Conscription boosted emigration, Lithuanian PM says
Military conscription, which was reinstated in Lithuania last year, was one of the reasons behind a hike in emigration, Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius believes. […]
Military
Uncategorized
The Kremlin’s view: why Baltic countries now pose a threat to Russia
Russian propagandists were not long ago deriding the inability of Baltic States to defend themselves but are now seeing something different: a threat to Russia. […]
Defence
Volunteers may fill all military conscription posts in 2016
Defence Minister Juozas Olekas said that he expects all 3,000 places for compulsory military service to be filled by volunteers next year. […]
Defence
Military conscription pushed up emigration from Lithuania, PM says
Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius says that youth emigration from the country could have been pushed up by the reinstalled compulsory military service. […]
Defence
Citizens’ donations to Lithuanian military grow seven-fold
In 2015, people more actively donated to the Lithuanian army by transferring 2 percent of their personal income tax. The number of such contributions has increased seven times. […]
Defence
We will continue cooperation, says leadership of Pennsylvania National Guard NCO corps in Lithuania
On 21 September, a delegation from the Pennsylvania National Guard (PANG) NCO corps headed by Command Sergeant Major Michael Gundrum paid a visit to the headquarters of the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Force (NDVF). […]
Defence
Radioactive ice detectors missing at Lithuanian Air Base
Six ice detectors used in aircraft are missing at the Lithuanian Air Force‘s Air Base in the northern city of Šiauliai. They are a source of radiation, the Ministry of National Defence said on Tuesday. […]
Defence
Opinion
Opinion: Potsdam Conference and Russia’s crooked-mirror politics in Kaliningrad
Most of the time history can’t be put to bed even though agreements to end wars have been concluded, victors have drawn new boundary lines, promises made, but they soon get either forgotten or swept under the rug, as if they weren’t there. The story of the northern part of former East Prussia (now known as the Kaliningrad exclave) is a good example of a conveniently ignored agreement made at the 1945 Potsdam conference to resolve the fate of the territory at a later peace treaty with Germany. […]
Defence
New commander hopes to attract 3,000 to serve in Lithuania’s volunteer force
The new commander of the Lithuania National Defence Volunteer Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Artūras Jasinskas, hopes to attract up to 3,000 troops to the volunteer forces during his five-year term. […]
Uncategorized
Nordic, Baltic and Poland are Europe’s new front-line states, security report says
Europe’s new front-line states are the Nordic countries, Baltic countries, plus Poland, which share a common concern about a “revisionist and rapidly-rearming Russia”, according to the Baltic Sea Security Report by the Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). […]
Defence
Lithuanian defence minister to be able to extend service time for professional soldiers
The Seimas of Lithuania on Thursday adopted amendments on the extension of the service time for professional troops. […]
Society
Photography project draws attention to gender stereotypes behind Lithuania’s conscription debate
The Lithuanian government has decided to reintroduce military conscription this year, after which the Ministry of National Defence compiled a list of almost 37,000 eligible young men who might be drafted for the military service this year. This has sparked much controversy and a heated debate in the Lithuanian public. […]
Defence
Exercise Lightning Bolt 2015 ends in Lithuania
The month-long largest national exercise Lithuania has held this year, Lightning Bolt 2015, has ended. The exercise tested various types of situations, including swift mobilization of the Lithuanian reserve, response to a hybrid war and terrorist attacks, and also involved tactical training, the country’s Ministry of National Defence said. […]
Defence
Lithuania’s Defence Ministry releases military draft list
Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence has published on its website the official list of this year’s draftees, which is available at sauktiniai.kam.lt. […]
Defence
Five Ukrainian soldiers arrive for treatment in Lithuania
Five more Ukrainian troops have arrived in Lithuania for treatment, Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence said on Friday. […]
Defence
Lithuanian Defence Ministry proposes raising number of professional troops next year
Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence has proposed increasing the marginal numbers of troops of professional military service by 1,300 soldiers next year, with the minimum number of troops to be raised by about 500. […]
Defence
A war of civilizations: diverging approaches to warfare and Russia’s military reform
Deividas Šlekys, military expert and lecturer at Vilnius University, discusses the nature of warfare and how it has transformed under liberal democracy. […]
Defence
Lithuania bans wearing separate elements and insignia of military uniform in public
Lithuania has banned wearing separate elements of military uniforms and insignia in public. The provision was incorporated into amendments to the Law on the Organisation of the National Defence System and Military Service and the accompanying legislation. […]
Uncategorized
Russia’s military games for Baltic and Polish civilians and youth
With the Russian 9th of May celebrations of Soviet victory in World War Two approaching, many in the Baltic States are concerned about the potential risk of provocations or confrontation stemming from the more radical and disgruntled elements of the local Russian minority. Moreover, since Russia launched a shadow war in eastern Ukraine in 2014, NATO, American, and European governments have been increasingly concerned about the risks of hybrid warfare in Poland and the Baltic region. […]