On August 9 Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lieutenant General Vytautas Žukas departed on a formal visit to the United States of America.
Chief of Defence will begin the week-long trip in the State of California. He will meet with Adjutant-General of Pennsylvania Major General Anthony J. Carelli in Los Angeles to discuss bilateral cooperation, visit Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania.
Later Chief of Defence will visit Fort Irwin National Training Center where his delegation will be joined by Commander of the Lithuanian Land Force Brigadier General Valdemaras Rupšys.
Lithuanian Generals will meet with soldiers of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas Mechanised Infantry Battalion on a joint exercise with allies of the Pennsylvania National Guard , familiarise with military training infrastructure at the Centre and the course of the exercise.
Key events of Lt Gen J.V.Žukas' visit in the US will take place on August 14-15 in Washington. He will meet with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., ), Commandant of the Marine Corps General Robert B. Neller, and Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau Lieutenant General Daniel R. Hokanson. The meetings are planned to address bilateral and multilateral cooperation results and prospects and US Army plans in Europe.
Also, on August 14 Lt Gen J. V. Žukas will visit the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the US to share insights on the security situation in the Baltic Region, present situation and development plans of the Lithuanian Armed Forces to the Lithuanian American community.
This is the second visit Lt Gen J. V. Žukas will conduct to the US as Chief of Defence of Lithuania, the first took place in October 2016.
Chief of Defence of Lithuania is expected to return to Lithuania on August 17.
The US commitment to the security in the region and visibility in Lithuania and the region is one of the most essential guarantees of security and stability of Lithuania. Both on a bilateral bass and adhering to NATO efforts, the United States is implementing broad deterrence measures in the Baltic region.
The United States was the first ally to deploy air defence reinforcement - additional fighter aircraft and capabilities for persistent presence in the Baltic states, when the security situation changed in the region and Europe in spring 2014. US soldiers are training in military exercises and other military cooperation events held in Lithuania. The US also leads a NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group in Poland to strengthen the eastern flank of the Alliance.
Defence cooperation between Lithuania and the US particularly intensified with signing a cooperation agreement in January 2017. The document reiterates both countries' commitment to work together to strengthen the NATO alliance, to increase European security, and to fight global security threats.
Photo credit: Sgt Spc Ieva Budzeikaitė
Spokesperson for the Chief of Defence of Lithuania Maj Mindaugas Neimontas, +370 5 278 5091, +370 682 25359, mindaugas.neimontas@mil.lt
