Maj Gen Valdemaras Rupšys Took Over the Flag of the Lithuanian
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AUGUST 2019. NO 8 (15). NEWS NATO eFP BG WELCOMED THE NEW COMMANDER FIRST IFV "VILKAS" DELIVERED TO LITHUANIA NATO'S PRESENCE Photo credit: (MoD) Alfredas Pliadis Photo REFUSED TO BE A MUSICIAN, CHOSE TO BE A SOLDIER Maj Gen Valdemaras Rupšys Took Over the Flag of the Lithuanian Armed Forces ON JULY 25 OUTGOING CHIEF OF DEFENCE LT GEN JONAS VYTAUTAS ŽUKAS HANDED OVER THE COMMAND TO THE NEW CHIEF OF DEFENCE SPECIAL OF LITHUANIA MAJ GEN VALDEMARAS RUPŠYS IN THE CATHEDRAL SQUARE IN FRONT OF PARADING TROOPS. LITHUANIAN ARMED FORCES IN THE INTERWAR uring the solemn ceremony, the de- with ceremonial colours, the Honour Guard PERIOD: DEVELOPMENT AND cree of the President of the Republic Company in present-time and 14th c. uni- PRESTIGE of Lithuania on the appointment of forms and weaponry lined up in the Cathedral DMajor General V. Rupšys as Chief of Defence Square, and the Lithuanian Armed Forces was announced. Maj Gen V. Rupšys swore the Band performed. The ceremony was attended integrity of Lithuanian lands and to strengthen by top leadership of the National Defence Sys- the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The regalia of tem and the Lithuanian Armed Forces, NGO command was presented to the incoming Chief representatives, general audience. of Defence by the Commander-in-Chief of the "Every leader comes with his own vision, Lithuanian Armed Forces, President of the Re- ideas and brings innovation. Progress can only public of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda. be made if leaders have the insight to see the Platoons of all services and their subordi- opportunity for changes and both the courage nate brigades of the Lithuanian Armed Forces See page 11 Dear readers, Content Not so long ago we had an important date to remember. July 4, 1776 was the time the United States (US) laid down its claim to NEWS be a free and independent nation. Since then, this day has become not only a joyful and solemn commemoration of the historic MAJ GEN VALDEMARAS RUPŠYS TOOK OVER event but a significant date which all Americans’ partners should THE FLAG OF THE LITHUANIAN ARMED not forget as well. FORCES..............................................................................................1,11 The Sumner Welles Declaration is considered a symbol of unity between the Baltic States and the US. Thanks to our great partner, NATO EFP BG WELCOMED THE NEW COMMANDER.....3 the Lithuanian tricolour and other Baltic flags fluttered in the US Department of State for five decades. On July 23, 1940, Benjamin A NECESSARY RISE: LITHUANIA BOLSTERS ITS Sumner Welles, the United States’ acting Secretary of State, issued CYBERSECURITY................................................................................3 a declaration in which the US officially condemned the Soviet -oc cupation of the Baltic States and did not recognize the annexation LITHUANIA MODERNIZES ITS DEFENSES.......................4,5 during the Cold War until the very restoration of Independence of ALLIED DETACHMENT DID 160 KM OF ours and our neighbours. MARCHING.............................................................................................5 This country is also a strategic partner of Lithuania, actively participating in the implementation of security measures and sta- RAF CHARTS A RISE IN RUSSIAN ACTIVITY.........................6 bility in our region — that’s why we can see the US troops walk- ing among ours who are deployed in Lithuanian land and helping MANY NATIONS ARE INVOLVED IN AFGHAN SECURITY. us to develop anti-tank and missile systems. Just to name a few HERE ARE THE CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS..................7 cases where the US put a big contribution to our readiness and safety, as one of the examples we could mention the landing of SOF TRAINED IN FLAMING SWORD 2019........................8,9 two the most advanced and expensive US fighter aircrafts Lock- heed Martin F-35A Lightning II at the Air Force Base in Šiauliai. JEF JOINT ACTIONS AT BALTIC PROTECTOR IN It was part of a US military exercise Rapid Forge which shows the KAIRIAI.....................................................................................................9 Americans’ determination to defend the airspace of all the Baltic States and Poland. FIRST IFV "VILKAS" DELIVERED TO In addition, the US supports us not only with their soldiers, LITHUANIA.........................................................................................10 but also with financial funds and technique; this country is con- sistently increasing its financial support to strengthen European, ROTATIONAL FORCE OF PORTUGAL DEPLOYED including Lithuania’s, defence capabilities and military infrastruc- TO LITHUANIA..................................................................................11 ture by one third each year. Moreover, the US is also one of the major partners in arms procurement: Lithuania plans to purchase NATO'S PRESENCE light tactical vehicles JLTV, we are also buying anti-aircraft mis- REFUSED TO BE A MUSICIAN, CHOSE TO BE A siles, turrets for combat equipment, anti-tank missile system Jav- SOLDIER...............................................................................................12 elin, and other equipment. With this being said, we would like to express our gratitude to SPECIAL our ally and wish to keep on thriving! LITHUANIAN ARMED FORCES IN THE INTERWAR Cordially, PERIOD: DEVELOPMENT AND PRESTIGE........................18 Team of the "Lithuanian Military Digest" Military Press Office of Lithuanian Armed Forces Totorių str. 25, LT-01121, Vilnius; Phone (370 5) 210 3897, GSM (370 6) 28 75851; fax (370 5) 273 5550; Kotryna Gurevičiūtė Correspondent Phone (370 5) 210 3897, GSM (370 6) 28 75851; fax (370 5) 273 5550; Email [email protected] Publisher — Lithuanian Armed Forces. The opinion of editorial office does not necessarily coin- cide with the opinion of the authors. Pictures, manuscripts are not returned and reviewed. Cir- culation is 300 copies. Printed by the Cartography Center of Lithuanian Military, Muitinės str.4, Domeikava, LT-54359 Kaunas dist. Order GL-367. Photo credit: Alfredas Pliadis (MoD) credit: Alfredas Pliadis Photo 2 Lithuanian Military Digest News NATO eFP BG Welcomed the New Commander n August 1 change of command and rotations ceremony took place in the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group (eFP BG) in Rukla. Representative of the Ger- Oman Armed Forces Lieutenant Colonel Peer Papenbroock handed over the command to his fellow German representative Lieutenant Colonel Rouven Habel after having been in charge of the NATO eFP BG Lithu- ania since February. Lt Col Rouven Habel is the commander of the 391st Mechanised Infantry Battalion of the Bundeswehr. "NATO eFP is a perfect practical example of the unity of the Alliance. By contributing troops to the forward presence mission our Allies demonstrate commitments to collective obligations and security of the Baltic countries. Alongside the Air Policing and the NATO Force Integration Unit, the eFP sends a strong message to our adversaries: NATO is indivisible, and the key rule of unity when all allies stand for one is viable and intact," Vice Minister of National Defence Vytautas Umbrasas said at the ceremony. V. Umbrasas thanked outgoing Commander Lt Col P. Papenbroock Wolf Iron Stonys/MIB Virginijus credit: Class Sgt 1st Photo for an excellent job and wished luck in continuing the activities to Lt Col R. Habel who is assuming the command of the thousand-strong battle Deployed at the Training Regiment in Rukla since the beginning group. "On our behalf, I would like to stress that Lithuania will continue of 2017, the multinational battle group is integrated into the Mecha- the necessary support and cooperation with the battle group,"’ he said. nised Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Vice Minister also welcomed the incoming rotations of German, Over 8 thousand troops from 9 NATO allies have already rotated to Dutch, Belgian, Czech and Norwegian troops taking the baton of the form the NATO eFP BG Lithuania over the period of time of more NATO mission in Lithuania and wished luck in their service. Iceland is than two years. represented in the Battle Group by a civilian expert. Lithuanian Armed Forces inf. A Necessary Rise: Lithuania Bolsters Its Cybersecurity ithuania is rising to the top of those including the design of hardware to prevent countries taking charge of their cy- cyberattacks. bersecurity, and its development in Lithuania’s focus on cybersecurity isn’t just Lcyberspace may benefit the rest of Europe and insular. The country participates at the inter- the United States (U. S.). national level by leading the European Union’s Lithuania has reason to focus on cyber- permanent structured cooperation, or PESCO, threats: it’s no secret Russia targets the Baltic project on cyber rapid response teams and mu- States with cyberattacks and disinformation tual assistance in cybersecurity. campaigns. Though Lithuania saw a decrease in Lithuania and other EU countries are creating the number of total cyber incidents recognized a common capability to respond to cyberattacks last year, the country is reporting that the num- by developing a cyber-toolkit that will support ber of sophisticated cyberattacks increased by credit: Flickr.com Photo EU members in times of need, the Lithuanian 41 percent. Those malicious incidents include MoD told Defense News in a statement. malware, system intrusion and compromised aimed to keep cyberspace for both the public But challenges remain. The country ac- systems.