On October 13 Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas and representatives of other 14 countries meeting in Brussels signed a Letter of Intent on joining the European Sky Shield initiative. The initiative which has been proposed by Germany is designed to carry out joint procurement, develop NATO European Allies’ ground-based air defenses and enhance interoperability, including better integration with NATINAMDS. Other signatories besides Lithuania were Belgium, Bulgaria Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Netherland, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United Kingdom.
“Becoming a part of the initiative allows the Lithuanian Armed Forces to plan joint procurements with the Armed Forces of Germany. Out of the available air defence systems package, the very short range/anti-drone defence systems is the most relevant component to the Lithuanian Armed Forces,” noted Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas.
Germany’s air defence development programme for procurement of air defence systems of every class (very short, short, medium and long range, as well as for missile and anti-drone defence) soon and in the medium term is at the core of the initiative.
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