Brigadier General Raimundas Vaikšnoras, President Gitanas Nausėda’s nominee to become Lithuania’s next chief of defence, said on Tuesday that he supports universal conscription, but believes that it should be implemented in phases.
“As a candidate, I support universal conscription, but it should be done gradually,” Vaikšnoras told the parliament.
“It requires infrastructure, training fields, and instructors, but gradually, we can increase the number of young draftees, thus increasing the reserve,” he added.
Under Nausėda’s decree on Vaikšnoras’ nomination, which the president signed last week, the brigadier general would take over as chief of defence from General Valdemaras Rupšys on July 24.
“The geopolitical situation today dictates that we don’t have the luxury of wasting time, so the main focus must be on deterrence and the defence of the entire NATO alliance,” Vaikšnoras told the parliament.
He also stressed that the reinforcement of the Armed Forces’ capabilities must be balanced, ensuring the functioning of all operational battle systems.
According to Vaikšnoras, the deployment of the German brigade in Lithuania and its integration along with the US units currently stationed in the country will ensure maximum deterrence effect, but it will be a challenging task.
Other tasks mentioned by the brigadier general include interacting with the paramilitary Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union and assisting local governments and civilian institutions in preparing for emergencies.
The tasks also include forming a national division and achieving its full operational capability, which will allow us to fill capability gaps and will be a clear signal to the allies of our own contribution to the defence of the Alliance”, he said.
Vaikšnoras is currently serving as deputy chief of staff for military training at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE).
He has in the past served as commander of the Lithuanian Land Force, the force’s deputy chief of staff for operations, chief of the Operations Department of the Defence Staff, and commander of the Iron Wolf brigade.
The five-year term of office of Rupšys, the incumbent chief of defence, is set to expire in July.
According to the constitution, the president appoints and dismisses the chief of defence with the parliament’s approval.
Both ruling and opposition MPs interviewed by BNS last week said they were in favour of Vaikšnoras’ nomination.
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