On December 8 through 12 Chief of the Defence Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Rear Admiral Giedrius Premeneckas attended the Alliance Warfare Development Conference organized by the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT).
The seventh iteration of the Conference elaborated on Winning the Race of Adaptation. According to Chief of the Defence Staff RADM Giedrius Premeneckas, the theme was reflective of the current security situation featuring particularly quick geopolitical and technological shifts. NATO needed to adapt quicker than ever if it wanted to maintained the advantage over potential aggressors.
At the Conference, representatives of NATO Allies and partners looked into application of lessons learned from ongoing operations and exercises in long-term activity plans. Participants also focussed on innovations and their practical application at military level. They discussed the possibility of quick transfer of new technology and solutions from conceptual to effective application level in the current threat context.
“The modern conflicts and threats give no space for long deliberation – the Allies need to be able to assess, test and integrate new capabilities in collective defence structures quickly,” said Chief of the Defence Staff RADM Giedrius Premeneckas.
Another topic highlighted at the Conference was a quicker application of innovative solutions as one of the key factors of advantage in a dynamic security environment.
Participants of the Conference agreed that innovation had to be applied as a matter of constant and targeted process rather than sporadically because that was the only way for NATO to stay a step ahead , respond to emerging threats and ensure strong collective defence.
The Conference also serves as a run-up to the upcoming Military Committee Conference and NATO CHODs discussions in early 2026. Solutions proposed and insights offered at the Conference will shape the collective Alliance priorities.
Photo credits: Supreme Allied Commander Transformation
