On July 29 change of command took place at the Defence Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces: Brigadier General Gintautas Zenkevičius took over the symbolic hammer of the Chief of the Defence Staff from the recently appointed Commander of the Land Force Brigadier General Raimundas Vaikšnoras who was acting Chief of the Defence Staff before the appointment.
Chief of Defence of Lithuania Major General Valdemaras Rupšys underscored in the congratulatory remarks that Brig Gen had been selected for his accomplishments and experience.
"The General delivered good results in all previous positions and therefore was the main nominee to become the next Chief of the Defence Staff. The Defence Staff has been transformed and is now completing tasks of military strategic and operational levels, therefore General will have to be creative in continuing the work already underway and implementing the already set visions for the Lithuanian Armed Forces," Maj Gen V. Rupšys.
Before the appointment of the Chief of the Defence Staff, Brig Gen G. Zenkevičius was in charge of the Training and Doctrine Command. He joined the Lithuanian Armed Forces, specifically, the Voluntary National Defence Service, in 1991. He held positions of company, battalion and territorial unit commander, chief of staff and head of the training centre, in the Voluntary National Defence Service and subsequently, the National Defence Volunteer Force. When appointed to the National Defence Volunteer Force Headquarters, he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Chief of Staff of the National Defence Volunteer Force, later he was appointed as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
In 2005 General was in command of the first rotation of the Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT-1) of Ghor, Afghanistan, under the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), then - the head for the Lithuanian Armed Forces reform project. Others responsible positions of Brig Gen G. Zenkevičius include heading the Inspectorate General of the Ministry of National Defence, serving as the Director-General of the MoD Capability and Armament Department, as well as other positions of command at international headquarters.
Brig Gen G. Zenkevičius holds a Master's degree in defence studies from the King's College London of the University of London (UK). He also graduated from the Joint Services Command and Staff College and the Royal College of Defence Studies in the UK.
The Defence Staff is subordinate to the Chief of Defence of Lithuania and assists him in strategic planning and command, also, in leading military operations of military protection of state, armed state defence, and other military operations in Lithuania and abroad. The Defence Staff coordinates combat training of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, develops armed defence concepts and plans. It is also in charge of the development of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, planning of acquisitions related to it, and consolidation of activities and allocated resources.
Photo credits: MoD/Giedrė Maksimovicz
PAO for the Defence Staff Maj Tomas Balkus
+370 5 219 6401, +370 686 28035, tomas.balkus@mil.lt
