“As a responsible member of the international community, Lithuania fully understands the necessity of increasing its contribution to the fight against global threats,” Raimundas Karoblis, Minister of National Defence, noted.
In the nearest future, a draft resolution on the participation in international operations in 2018-2019 will be submitted to the Seimas.
The Lithuanian servicemen are deployed to international operations on the basis of resolutions of the Seimas which establish the number of troops deployed and the particular operations in which they take part. Such resolutions are updated on a regular basis, namely, at least every two years.
Currently, about 90 Lithuanian soldiers take part in nine international operations and missions. As many as 22 soldiers are deployed to NATO-led operation in Afghanistan Resolute Support and 1 soldier – to NATO-led operation in Kosovo. The EU-led operations are supported by 19 Lithuanian soldiers: 15 of them participate in the Mediterranean Sea operation Sophia, 2 of them participate in the training mission in Mali, 1 – in the training mission in the Central African Republic and 1 – in operation Atalanta which is aimed at countering piracy off the coast of Somalia. 5 servicemen participate in the UN stabilisation operation Mali Minusma. The USA-led combined joint task force operation in Iraq Inherent Resolve has been joined by 6 instructors from the Lithuanian Armed Forces, meanwhile, about 40 Lithuanian troops take part in a military training mission in Ukraine.
