Lithuania wants NATO to prep 'forward defence' in Baltics

Lithuania will ask NATO to adopt the principle of forward defence on its eastern flank in the face of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

On Wednesday, the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence held a closed meeting, which was also attended by government representatives and President Gitanas Nausėda, to coordinate the steps to be taken in the run-up to the NATO summit in Madrid in late June.

“We want to implement the principle of forward defence in NATO’s entire future architecture on the eastern flank,” Laurynas Kasčiūnas, the committee’s chairman, told BNS after the meeting.

Lithuania’s key objectives include “growing the NATO battalion to a brigade, preparing to host a division, transforming the air policing mission into a defence mission, and strengthening air defence in general”, he said.

Laurynas Kasčiūnas | J. Stacevičiaus / LRT nuotr.

According to Kęstutis Budrys, Nausėda’s chief national security adviser, the principle of forward defence and its adoption are now being discussed in all forums and with representatives from all countries.

“We have to realise that this is the time for NATO to implement forward defence,” he said. “In military terms, this means that we defend ourselves immediately.”

Agreeing on this key point will allow military planning to start, according to Budrys.

In the words of Kasčiūnas, Germany, which currently leads NATO’s multinational battalion in Lithuania, could increase its capabilities in the country.

He acknowledged, however, that not all NATO members understand the Baltic countries’ desire to change the security architecture.

Kęstutis Budrys | J. Stacevičiaus / LRT nuotr.

“There are countries that say, let’s wait and see what Russia will look like after the war and let’s not escalate the situation now,” Kasčiūnas said. “We are trying to change this thinking.”

“Now there is a window of opportunity to form a new defence architecture because the geopolitical situation has changed,” he added.

The NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battalion has been deployed in Lithuania since 2017. Around 1,600 allied troops, 1,000 of them German, are currently stationed in the country.