Photo: Global Look Press
American military contingent in Lithuania they were put on alert. Lieutenant General Valdemaras Rupshis, Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, stated this in an interview with LRT Radio.
He specified that before the start of the NMD, the purpose of the presence of American soldiers was to deter possible aggression. Now the overseas guests will be preparing for defensive actions. Rupshis also noted that the rotation of American troops will be carried out periodically, but it will not affect the security of the republic. “By 2025, we will have rotating American units that will carry out their military training, education and will have deterrence. But these units will also be ready to carry out defensive actions together with us and together with other allies,” the commander emphasized.
Six years ago, NATO countries agreed to station four international battalions in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland. The air forces of the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance have been protecting the airspace of the Baltic states since 2004.
In mid-February, the leadership of the Atlantic military bloc announced the need to increase the number of contingents in Europe. A month later, Latvian President Egils Levits spoke about the need to deploy a permanent military contingent in the Baltic states to protect against possible aggression from Russia.