Lithuania has joined the German-led European Sky Shield Initiative to develop air defence capabilities in Europe through joint acquisitions, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
In Brussels, Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas and his counterparts from 14 other countries – Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom – signed a letter of intent for the development of the initiative.
According to the Lithuanian ministry, the initiative is aimed at carrying out joint acquisitions, developing the capabilities of the ground-based air defence systems of NATO’s European countries, and improving their interoperability, including with the alliance’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence System (NATINAMDS).
A key element of the initiative is Germany’s air defence development program covering the procurement of all classes of air defence systems (very short, short, medium, long-range, and anti-missile and anti-UAV) in the short and medium term, the ministry said in a press release.
“Joining this initiative will enable the Lithuanian Armed Forces to plan joint acquisitions with the German Armed Forces,” it quoted Anušauskas as saying.
“Of the proposed package of air defence systems, the most relevant for the Lithuanian Armed Forces is the package of very short-range/anti-UAV systems,” he added.
DefMin 🇱🇹 @a_anusauskas together with DefMins of 1⃣4⃣ #NATO Allies & Finland signed the Letter of Intent for the development of the “European Sky Shield Initiative”. This will allow to ensure deterrence and defence in an efficient and cost-effective way. pic.twitter.com/qDMEmyMQgF
— Lithuanian MOD 🇱🇹 (@Lithuanian_MoD) October 13, 2022
Attention to air defences on NATO’s eastern flank has intensified in light of increased threats after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The idea of jointly developing air defence capabilities in Europe was raised by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in August.
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