After finishing the term as Chief of the Defence Staff, Lt Gen Remigijus Baltrėnas will soon depart for Brussels to assume command of the International Military Staff for three years. This is the first time a Lithuanian officer is appointed to this position.
Lieutenant General Remigijus Baltrėnas was elected the next Director General of the International Military Staff at the NATO Chiefs of Defence and Military Representative’s’ conference in Prague nearly a year ago by consensus of the voters. He will take over from Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak (Polish Armed Forces) on July 10 at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels.
“Upon assuming my recent duties, I stated that the Lithuanian Armed Forces Defence Staff was the cortex and the propeller of the Armed Forces enabling concerted, united and effective operation in support of the main mission: deterrence of the opponents and state defence That was my view also while leading this loyal and dedicated team of experts. It will be an honor to hand over the wheel of this robust military apparatus to a new captain,” said Lt Gen R. Baltrėnas as his term in the Defence Staff is nearing the end.
Lt Gen Remigijus Baltrėnas has served in numerous positions of command and staff officer across the Lithuanian Armed Forces over his 30 year-long career. While in position of Commander of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas Battalion, General Baltrėnas was put in charge of ISAF’s 12th Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team of the province of Ghor, Afghanistan. His career is built of highlights ranging from the Deputy Commander of the Baltic Battalion’s Infantry Company in the NATO-led Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina to Joint Command and Staff Course Directors at the Baltic Defence College, Advisor to the Minister of National Defence and the 15th Director of the Defence Intelligence and Security Service under the Ministry of National Defence. General Baltrėnas was the Military Representative of Lithuania to NATO and the EU for four years and led the Defence Staff for nearly a full year.
Lt Gen R. Baltrėnas received his Bachelor’s education at the Military Academy of Lithuania and proceeded to earn an MA in Strategic Studies at the U.S. Army College. He also graduated from the Joint Forces Staff College of the U.S National Defence University and the Marine Command and Staff College of the U.S. Marine Corps University.
The Defence Staff is subordinate to the Chief of Defence of Lithuania and supports him in strategic planning and command, as well as armed state protection, armed defence and other military operation in Lithuania and abroad. The de fence Staff provides coordination of the Armed Forces military readiness training, and develops concepts and plans of armed defence. The institution is also in charge of upgrading the Lithuanian Armed Forces, planning of the corresponding procurement and integration of corresponding activities and allocations.
Photo credit: Sgt Spc Karolis Kavolėlis
