SEPTEMBER 2020. NO 9 (28). NEWS NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE DISTANCE MEETING MULTINATIONAL AIR DEFENCE EXERCISE NATO'S PRESENCE LITHUANIA — THROUGH THE EYES OF A FRIEND Chairman of the NATO Military Committee visited Lithuania n September 25 Chairman of the tee to NATO’s political decision-making Military Committee (MC) Air structures. He directs and publicly represents Chief Marshal Sir Stuart William work of the NATO Military Committee. OPeach (United Kingdom — Air Force) con- Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart William Peach SPECIAL duced an official visit to Lithuania. (United Kingdom — Air Force) assumed the FELIKSAS VAITKUS — He met with Speaker of the Lithuanian position on 18 June 2018. THE HERO OF A Parliament Viktoras Pranckietis, Chief of De- Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach (Uni- fence Lt Gen Valdemaras Rupšys, other rep- ted Kingdom — Air Force) is the 32nd Chair- TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT resentatives of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. man of the Military Committee of the North The guest also visited the NATO Energy Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); the Security Centre of Excellence in Vilnius and most senior and longest standing military received briefings on the regional security structure in the Alliance. situation from the Lithuanian Armed Forces Air Chief Marshal Peach is NATO’s most Defence Staff. senior military officer and is the Military -Ad Chairman of the NATO Military Com- viser to the Secretary General and the North mittee is chief military advisor to the NATO Atlantic Council. In addition, he is the Uni- Secretary General responsible for conveying ted Kingdom’s most senior serving officer. consensus-based advice from the 30 Chiefs Lithuanian Armed Forces information of Defence as the NATO Military Commit- Photo credit: Alfredas Pliadis (MoD) News NATO Military Committee Content NEWS distance meeting CHAIRMAN OF THE NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE VISITED LITHUANIA....................................................................................1 NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE DISTANCE MEETING.................2 NATO AIR POLICING MISSION WILL INCLUDE ITALIAN AND GERMAN FIGHTER JETS..................................................................3 LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR ETHICAL HACKERS............................4 GERMANY WILL ALLOCATE 500 THOUSAND EUROS TO THE LITHUANIAN ARMED FORCES INFRASTRUCTURE........................................................................................5 n September 18 Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lieutenant MULTINATIONAL AIR DEFENCE EXERCISE....................................6 General Valdemaras Rupšys took part in a NATO Military Committee (MC) session held via video teleconference. It LITHUANIAN TROOPS WILL BE ARMED WITH GERMAN Owas the second time in history that NATO Chiefs of Defence relied on PISTOLS HECKLER&KOCH SF P9 SF PADDLE.................................7 IT solutions to convene and address key Alliance issues via a classified connection, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and decision of the CHIEF OF DEFENCE MET WITH U.S. ARMY MC leadership. V CORPS COMMANDING GENERAL....................................................8 The NATO Military Committee discussed with the political and mili- TH tary leadership of the Alliance NATO missions and operations, deter- 8 ROTATION OF THE FORCE PROTECTION UNIT rence and defence of the Euro-Atlantic area, and reviewed military capa- DEPLOYED TO THE MISSION IN MALI..............................................9 bilities and resources of Russia. Chairman of the NATO Military Committee Air Chief Marshal Sir GERMANY TRIES TO FORGE A DEAL ON WHO CAN PLAY Stuart William Peach presiding the session expressed regrets that the BALL IN EUROPE....................................................................................10,11 planned venue of the meeting in Roma, Italy, had to be cancelled and thanked the Italian side for the effort and resources they had paid to pre- IN SHORT pare responsibly for the meeting. THE OLD STATE OF LITHUANIA: NATO MC Chairman also thanked the Alliance military medi- THE LITHUANIAN ARMY.........................................................................12 cal personnel for maintaining vigilance and overseeing health of allied forces, and intensely watching the situation in operational areas where NATO'S PRESENCE NATO forces are present. Sir Stuart William Peach stressed that it was LITHUANIA – THROUGH THE EYES OF A FRIEND...................14 still a complex relation when addressing NATO and Russia. "There has been a pattern of destabilising behaviour from Russia, includ- SPECIAL ing aggressive actions against their neighbours, election interference, and FELIKSAS VAITKUS — THE HERO OF A TRANSATLANTIC cyber-attacks. Russian propaganda outlets have falsely accused NATO of FLIGHT................................................................................................................18 creating and spreading COVID-19. We have seen that Russia has now made hypersonic weapons operational. They are developing new cruise missiles as "DECODING THE RAF": THE HUMAN SIDE OF THE well as new sea-based systems. These systems are clearly a concern for this MISSION............................................................................................................22 committee," he said in the final press statement after the session. The Military Committee (MC) is NATO’s highest structure of mili- tary command subordinate to the North Atlantic Council, Defence Planning Committee and Nuclear Planning Group. It takes strategic- level military decisions and forms military advice to the North Atlantic Council, the political decision-making body. Military Press Office of Lithuanian Armed Forces Totorių str. 25, LT-01121, Vilnius; At the highest level the MC is comprised of NATO countries’ Chiefs Phone (370 5) 210 3897, GSM (370 6) 86 94458; fax (370 5) 273 5550; of Defence while daily activities are carried out by their military repre- Email [email protected] sentatives. Chiefs of Defence sessions normally take place three times per Publisher — Lithuanian Armed Forces. The opinion of editorial office does not necessarily coin- year, two in Brussels and one — in one of the NATO member states on 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, a rotational basis. The Chiefs of Defence agree on and provide military Domeikava, LT-54359 Kaunas dist. Order GL-410. advice to the North Atlantic Council as a result of their conferences. Spokesperson for the Chief of Defence Maj Tomas Balkus Photo credits: NATO 2 Lithuanian Military Digest News NATO Air Policing Mission will include Italian and German fighter jets rom September, the Italian cises with Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and German Air Forces with and other regional allies. Eurofighter jets will take The NATO Air Policing Mission in Fover the patrolling in the Baltic Air the Baltic States has been conducted Policing Mission. They have replaced continuously since 2004, when Lithua- the contingents of Spain, the Unit- nia, Estonia and Latvia became mem- ed Kingdom and France who have bers of the NATO Alliance. Following completed their mission. The new Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine rotation will be led by Italy from the in 2014, the Air Policing Mission in Lithuanian Air Force Aviation Base the Baltic States was reinforced. Al- in Šiauliai, and the augmentation to lied fighter jets conducting duty in the the mission will be provided by the Baltic States often intercept Russian Germans stationed at the Estonian fighter jets which do not comply with Air Force Aviation Base in Amari. international aviation safety rules when "The Baltic Air Policing Mission approaching the airspace of the Baltic is one of the best examples of NATO States. In the eight months of this year, unity, demonstrating the Alliance’s NATO fighter jets have been scrambled commitment to security. This is also more than 80 times. shown by the readiness of the Italian NATO Headquarters in Ramstein and German Air Forces to carry out and Mons ensured continued and ef- the air policing mission in the Baltic region as ber due to military operational requirements. fective coordination and management of air planned, despite the coronavirus pandemic. For Until then, all functions of the mission will be policing over the Baltic States, and the capa- our part, we seek to provide our partners with provided by the augmenting German air police bilities are allocated by the Allies. The ongoing the best conditions for carrying out the mission contingent stationed in Estonia. NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic States from the Air Force Base in Šiauliai," Minister of Italy and Germany are scheduled to partici- demonstrates NATO’s unity and shared deter- National Defence Raimundas Karoblis says. pate in two consecutive four-month rotations mination of the Allies to conduct allied defence On 1 September, the Italian contingent pre- in the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic and deterrence. paring to take over the mission participated States. The new mission of the Italian and German in the air police mission contingent handover This will be the fourth time for Italy and the contingents is already the 54th rotation since ceremony in Šiauliai together with the contin- twelfth time for Germany to deploy their air the beginning of the NATO air policing mis- gents of Spain and the United Kingdom comp- force contingents to the Air Policing Mission sion in the Baltic