After former US military commander in Europe Ben Hodges said that, in the event of an attack, Lithuania must prepare to defend itself for two weeks before NATO reinforcements arrive, military chief Valdemaras Rupšys reassures that Lithuania would be with its Western allies “from deterrence to victory”.
US retired General Hodges, who visited Lithuania last week, warned that Lithuania may have to defend itself for two weeks.
“Once Russia attacks a NATO country, it could be two weeks until reinforcement arrives in Lithuania, so that means if you think about total defence, are Lithuanians prepared for maybe the worst case, two weeks without additional forces arriving. You have to be prepared I would say at least two weeks before additional resources and reinforcement arrive,” Hodges, who currently serves as NATO Senior Mentor for Logistics, said at the Vilnius Security Forum last Friday.
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The comments sparked critical reactions from Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas, who said that these statements were groundless.
Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen argued that the insights of experts like Hodges should be taken seriously.
Asked how he views the statements of the former US commander in Europe, Lieutenant General Rupšys, commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, said that they should be seen as a reminder for Lithuania to strengthen its own defence forces.
“These two weeks tell us that you are a NATO country, you are obliged to comply not only with Article 5 but also with Article 3 [...] – to have armed forces that are ready to participate in the collective defence and at the same time to ensure the security of your country,” Rupšys told LRT RADIO.
“We are reminded that you should not think that someone else will defend you instead of yourself, we are the defenders of our own country and we should have the appropriate forces and civil society that is ready to defend the country in any case,” he added.
However, this does not mean that Lithuania would be left completely alone for some time in the event of an attack, Rupšys reassured. Current defence plans envisage that NATO forces would be here “from day one”.
“If you ask General Cavoli, the commander-in-chief of NATO forces in Europe, if you ask the commander of the operational headquarters in Brunsum, if you ask the commander of the Northeast Corps, [...] they would say that NATO is guaranteed to be there from day one,” Rupšys said.
According to the Lithuanian Armed Forces chief, the collective defence plans are based not only on defence from day one but also on deterrence. “If we have indications, warnings of a future or foreseeable threat, [...] then we will already have allied forces here,” Rupšys said.
He added that a certain number of allied forces were already in Lithuania.
“It is not that we are waiting for a permanent German brigade in Lithuania, which is what is being talked about here now, we already have a [NATO] brigade. We have a NATO forward battalion, we have an air police, we have more than a battalion from the US with all the enablers,” Rupšys said.
According to the chief of defence, “the extent of the aggression and the scale of the forces that will confront us” is a separate issue.
“We are playing all sorts of scenarios. [...] Scenarios are being drawn up in the light of the enemy’s anticipated actions,” he said.
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