According to the President, in light of the changing geopolitical dynamics, NATO is too slow; therefore, changes are needed in reforming and speeding-up decision-making and relocating military commands closer to the eastern borders of the Alliance.
Dalia Grybauskaitė said that the current NATO command structures and military forces were positioned according to the Cold War logic – in Europe’s West and South. With growing threat from Russia, it is necessary to redeploy allied forces to the Eastern flank.
The Baltic states also need regional air defense and measures precluding possible military isolation of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and ensuring the speedy arrival of allied reinforcements.
The President underscored that the deployment of allied forces in the Baltic states on a permanent basis constituted the most essential element of deterrence. The presence of U.S. troops, the strongest military force within the Alliance, is a powerful message of deterrence.
According to Dalia Grybauskaitė, the deterrence measures agreed on in Warsaw are being successfully implemented. NATO’s forward presence battalion troops from Germany and Belgium have already arrived to Lithuania. Dutch soldiers are expected at the end of March. In the course of this and next year, troops from four other countries - Norway, Luxembourg, Croatia and France - will join the battalion. Currently, a U.S. rotating company and heavy equipment are already stationed in Lithuania.
Lithuania also works at ensuring its own security. Defense spending is increased fast and is expected to exceed two percent of GDP next year. A national standby rapid response force has been established. Conscription has been reinstated, with many young people enlisting on a voluntary basis. In three years, the number of soldiers has increased by a quarter. A new brigade named “Žemaitija” has been established within the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Lithuania is a leading NATO member state in term of military modernization. Lithuania is also enhancing its cyber and strategic communication capacities.
