The meeting of NATO leaders is held at a difficult time, amid tensions in transatlantic relations, increasing risk of trade wars and the first signs of global economic slowdown.
According to the President, the world's strongest alliance, built on the principles of collective defense and solidarity, is the central counterweight to the dominance of Russian and other hostile military powers. Therefore, maintaining the transatlantic connection and allied unity are crucially important for international security and peace.
At the summit, Lithuania will seek to have the NATO command structure, defense plans and military forces fully prepared to defend the eastern flank and act as effective deterrence.
In Brussels, allied leaders should agree on reshaping NATO's command and control networks. This will enhance the ability of headquarters at all levels and units – on land, at sea and in the air – to take over rapidly the command of collective defense operations. Two new commands will be established in the United States and Germany to ensure that allied reinforcements can move quickly in case of crisis.
NATO leaders are also expected to approve the Readiness Initiative aimed at having 30 land battalions, 30 air fighter squadrons and 30 naval ships ready to be fully deployed within 30 days for collective defense operations, in addition to NATO's Response Force. The plan should be completed by 2020.
Another priority decision to be taken by allies in Brussels is to increase military mobility and enable NATO to rush its military units across borders within five days, with the objective of facilitating the procedure even further by 2019. Allies will commit to improving their roads, rails and other infrastructure, tailoring them for military needs.
Lithuania will raise the issues of regional air defense over the Baltic States and the speed-up of NATO's decision making process. NATO leaders will also discuss measures to fight hybrid threats and ways to improve resilience against energy blackmail.
A working session of the leaders of NATO, the EU and allied partner countries Finland and Sweden will be held in Brussels. Meetings of the NATO-Ukraine-Georgia Commission and NATO's Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan with partner nations are scheduled for the second day of the summit.
