On September 28-30 Chief of the Defence Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Major General Vitalijus Vaikšnoras substituted for Chief of Defence of Lithuania at the 180th NATO Military Committee Conference in Warsaw (Poland) where NATO Chiefs of Defence and NATO military leadership addressed key NATO activity and international security topics.
Members of the Military Committee and NATO military leadership discussed implementation of the decisions taken in the most recent NATO Summit in Brussels. The topics of discussion covered NATO Readiness, Responsiveness and Modernisation, adaptation of the Command Structure, and other important decisions, including overview of security situation in areas of operations, implementation of NATO operations and missions, and their future prospects. The conference also addressed the NATO Military Strategy, Responsiveness, Reinforcement, and the NATO Readiness Initiative.
"It has been nearly 70 years of NATO heling to maintain peace and stability in Europe. We continue to be united over the mission of our collective defence. Therefore NATO is the most successful and the most valued Alliance in history," said Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart William Peach, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, and Chief of the Polish General Staff Lt Gen Rajmund Andrzejczakat at a joint press conference.
The meeting allied Chiefs of Defence also elected by general consensus German Armed Forces Lieutenant General Hans-W. Wiermann as the next Director General of the International Military Staff (DGIMS). He will take office next year and hold the duties for three years.
The meeting in Warsaw also finished preparations for the NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels that will take place on October 3-4.
The 180th MC Conference was chaired by Royal Air Force Chief Marshal Sir Stuart William Peach, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee. He was supported by U.S. Armed Forces General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), and French Air Force General André Lanata, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT). The MC Conference was organised and hosted by the Chief of the Polish General Staff, Lieutenant General Rajmund Andrzejczak.
The Military Committee (MC) is NATO's highest structure of military command subordinate to the North Atlantic Council, Defence Planning Committee and Nuclear Planning Group. It takes strategic-level military decisions and forms military advice to the North Atlantic Council, the political decision-making body. At the highest level the MC is comprised of NATO countries' Chiefs of Defence while daily activities are carried out by their military representatives. Chiefs of Defence sessions normally take place three times per year, two in Brussels and one - in one of the NATO states on a rotational basis.
Photos: courtesy of the organisers
Organisers' information for media representatives:
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_157630.htm
PAO for the Defence Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Maj Tomas Balkus
Contacts: +370 657 61271, tomas.balkus@mil.lt
