June 26, the United Kingdom Military Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union Lieutenant General Ian Cane was on a visit in Vilnius. He was received by Chief of the Defence Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Remigijus Baltrėnas.
The Lithuanian and British delegations discussed the military threats, readiness for response and defence plans. The upcoming exercises in the region this fall were also on the meeting agenda.
“The military cooperation with the United Kingdom is important to us not only on the norther flank of NATO but also in the Baltic sea region. The Joint Expeditionary Force and the Northern Group formats facilitate Lithuania’s security, while the UK leadership there supports proper interaction and cooperation among other members. The Operation Interflex for training the Ukrainian military is an excellent instance of our teamwork which has already resulted in training 56 thousand of Ukrainian troops under UK leadership,” said Lieutenant General R. Baltrėnas.
The United Kingdom is one of Lithuania strategic partners in security and defence. The Royal Air Force Detachments have ensured security of the Baltic skies through the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states for six times so far. The British Army continues to lead the NATO Multinational Battle Group Estonia and have a contingent in the NATO Multinational Battle Group Poland.
The bilateral cooperation with United Kingdom takes place at the level of all services, also in the area of military training which opens the opportunity for the Lithuanian officers to study at the British military education institutions.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces Defence Staff supports strategic leadership of the Lithuanian Armed Forces enabling the Chief of Defence to exercise the duties of his designate role: strategic planning of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, strategic command, armed state protection and defence, and more.
Photo and info credits: Defence Staff
