“We are delighted with the significant steps forward in Lithuanian and Polish defence cooperation. The Lithuanian-Polish Defence Ministers Council held its first meeting in January earlier this year to address a closer bilateral cooperation in ensuring regional security,” Vice Minister said.
He also underscored that Lithuania and Poland shared the approach to the security situation. “We have security interests that bind us together while we are facing common threats, therefore we have to focus on acting upon those interests together,” V. Umbrasas said.
Vice Minister also stressed the importance of the U.S. attention to the security of the region. “Military U.S. presence is of strategic importance to the whole region. We welcome very much the upcoming deployment of a significant U.S. force to our neighbour Poland. The regional security situation remains to be complicated, therefore NATO-U.S. cooperation is the key guarantee of deterrence and defence of the region, especially the Suwalki Gap,” he said. Vice Minister also underscored the importance of the U.S. participation in the HQ Multinational Division North East to regional defence.
In January this year Chiefs of Defence of Lithuania and Poland signed a Memorandum of Understanding assigning the Lithuanian Armed Forces Mechanised Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf and the Polish Armed Forces 15th Mechanised Brigade to the HQ Multinational Division North East for training and exercise purposes.
The Baltic states remains to be the most vulnerable region in terms of air defence. Vice Minister and Secretary of State of Poland agreed that it was important to continue actively coordinated efforts to ensure defendability of the regional airspace. Regional air defence exercises and a NATO decision to ensure air defence in the region were needed.
Vice Minister and the guest also discussed the U.S.-led Exercise Defender-Europe 20 in which Lithuanian and Polish forces will train alongside other allies. According to Vice Minister, the exercise will make a an excellent reinforcement and military mobility test, while lessons learnt will be properly integrated into planning and improvement of military mobility conditions.
Vice Minister also addressed the importance of military mobility, he said the EU budget had to earmark funds for improving military mobility, therefore coordination of regional efforts to maintain the EU attention to the matter was needed.
Support to Ukraine was also discussed. Vice Minister V.Umbrasas pointed out that the trilateral Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade LITPOLUKRBRIG remained to be a valuable instrument in mentoring Ukrainian forces.
Secretary of State of Poland also visited the Defence Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and met with the command of the NATO Force Integration Unit Lithuania.
