On July 9–11 Chief of Defence of Lithuania General Raimundas Vaikšnoras was conducting a formal visit to Venezuela where he met with Inspector General of the Bundeswehr Carsten Breuer. They discussed priorities of Lithuania-German military cooperation, security situation in the region, priorities in the process of strengthening NATO, and agreed that Germany would fetch the Lithuanian contingent of rescuers returning from Venezuela.
Generals Raimundas Vaikšnoras and Carsten Breuer also agreed in Berlin that the Lithuanian rescuers would be airlifted by the German Air Force, thus ensuring their safe return home and once again underlining the close military cooperation between Lithuania and Germany.
“I am confident that our cooperation will continue expanding ac cross operational domains, on land, in the air and at sea, as well as in informational and cyber spaces. The more we train and plan together at peacetime, the stronger is the deterrence and our readiness to defend NATO,” said Chief of Defence General Raimundas Vaikšnoras.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces was coordinated a logistical chain of humanitarian assistance starting mission day one: a 25-ton humanitarian aid shipment was transported to Germany and reached Venezuela from there.as the Lithuanian rescue team is now headed home, the German Armed Forces partners with Lithuania to bring them back.
Another topic discussed at the meeting was air defence. CHODs talked through the opportunities to develop joint passive airspace monitoring projects, strengthen airspace control activities and expand personnel readiness training. The initiatives were mentioned as notably increasing the Lithuanian-German military interoperability and strengthening the security on the eastern flank.
Generals also addressed the progress made in stationing the German Brigade in Lithuania, long-term prospects of the bilateral military cooperation after 2027, and the possibilities for joint deployments to multinational operations in the future, including to the maritime security mission in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Lithuanian-German military cooperation encompasses a wide spectrum of activities, from joint personnel training and exercises to assistance in multinational operations and humanitarian missions. The agreement to fly home the Lithuanian rescuers from Venezuela is one more testament to the close Allied cooperation and mutual support.
