On November 25-26 Chief of the Defence Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Maj Gen Gintautas Zenkevičius conducted a visit to Ukraine to take part in the Multinational Joint Commission on Defence Reform and Security Cooperation with Ukraine meetings.
Maj Gen G. Zenkevičius thanked the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the high reliance while hosting military instructors and advisors from the Lithuanian Armed Forces. He underscored the importance of changes in the military education system, officer and NCO and English language training.
"We appreciate that the Armed Forces of Ukraine took into account the proposal of the Lithuanian military advisors to prolong the Basic Military Course to three months. We are convinced that the pilot course currently underway will prove to be successful and will not only improve training results but also brig the armed forces closer to NATO requirements for military training," Maj Gen G. Zenkevičius said.
Meetings of the Multinational Joint Commission address the defence and armed forces reforms carried by Ukraine, progress is assessed , recommendations to the Armed Forces of Ukraine are given as it seeks to increase interoperability with NATO militaries, also, future plans are discussed and joint military assistance is coordinated.
The Multinational Joint Commission comprises representatives of Ukraine, Denmark, U.S., UK, Canada, Poland, Sweden, and Lithuania, and over ten subcommittees. Lithuania takes part in the work of the Subcommittees on the Land Force, Special Operations Forces, and Military Police, and heads the Subcommittees on the NCO Reform and on Professional Military Training Reform. The latter was proposed by Lithuania and established in May 2018. Lithuania is committed to take the role of leadership in the reform on the areas corresponding to the two subcommittees it heads.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces provides assistance to the reforms of Ukraine, particularly in military training area. Lithuania's military instructors have been contributing to the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine, training of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces and Military Police, and contributing actively to the NCO system reform and professional military training since 2014, both separately and together with U.S., Canadian, British and Polish soldiers.
Lithuania established a Military Training Operation Ukraine in July 2017 on account of increasing Lithuania's involvement in the training of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The mandate of the operation allows deploying up to 60 Lithuanian soldiers to Ukraine to train members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2017-2019. Aside from that, Ukrainian military personnel is constantly invited to study at military education institutions of Lithuania - the Military Academy, Lithuanian Armed Forces School. Ukraine's officers can also study at the Baltic Defence College on Lithuania's funding, soldiers undergo different training courses in the Lithuanian Armed Forces' units.
