Last week Chief of the Defence Staff Rear Admiral Giedrius Premeneckas took part in a meeting of Chiefs of Defence of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) in London, United Kingdom. Bedsides the Lithuanian representative, the event was attended by Chiefs of Defence of Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Canada.
The CHODs discussed security situation in the region, emerging threats and security developments. They also addressed strengthening collective defence and deterrence measures. Joint military drills were in the centre of attention underscoring the importance of tight military cooperation for effective response to security challengers.
“Lithuania’s JEF membership is one of the early response measures in the event of different crises, including damage to undersea infrastructure. Cooperation in the JEF format allows pooling resources effectively, as well as exchanging intelligence and looking for solutions to mutual challenges in regional security,” said Rear Admiral Giedrius Premeneckas.
The meeting delegations were invited to attend the London Defence Conference (LDC) organized by the School of Security Studies at King’s College London at the same time. The Conference brought together highest level politicians, representatives of armed forces, experts and members of the academia to address major themes of international security and defence.
Themed “Readiness”, the Conference this year particularly focuses on the role of the JEF in the context of growing geopolitical threats and the format’s international value. The Conference also explored such topics as unified response to ongoing military conflict, trends of future warfare and enhancement of the Nordic cooperation.
The JEF is a high-readiness combat unit designed to respond to emergencies in and around Europe: from humanitarian assistance and deterrence to combat operations. Led by the United Kingdom, the JEF is composed of maritime, air and land capabilities contributed by ten Northern European partner nations.
Photos: courtesy of the LDC organizing team
