"Only a presence of allied troops that makes sense in military terms does send a strong message of deterrence. In our estimation, the key elements of deterrence are allied presence in the region and prepositioning of equipment and weaponry. We are already prepared to host an allied battalion unit and to render full host nation support, i.e. equipment, infrastructure and training conditions, "Minister J.Olekas said at the meeting.
Minister J.Olekas underscored that Lithuania is ready to further develop and invest into the infrastructure in and near Mumaičiai in case the U.S. decided to deploy a battalion war time set in Lithuania.
"We see Lithuania as a potential logistical hub for the United States in the region," Minister J.Olekas stated.
Minister J.Olekas presented to the U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Lithuania's achievements in defence area, defence appropriations, priority areas for capability development, the most important information regarding logistical and infrastructure development in Lithuania, and fulfilment of international commitments.
During a visit to the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence (ENSEC COE), the guests familiarised with its activities, key projects, and critical infrastructure security. Later on, military and civilian infrastructure of Lithuania and logistical capacity to host allied forces was presented to the guests in detail at the Joint Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
The visit is expected to conclude in Mumaičiai where U.S. equipment and weaponry, part of the European Activity Set, is stored since the end of last year.
