“Now we record everything, identify the lessons learned, then we will look at what should be improved, what should be done better, or maybe completely differently. That first pancake is not cooked. There were no major misunderstandings, society accepted it in different ways,” V. Rupšys told reporters on Wednesday.
However, the army commander admitted, in the future it would be better to inform the public about the tasks of such exercises.
“One of the lessons learned is that it is necessary to inform even better that this is just a training session, it is not a real curfew,” said V. Rupšys.
The army commander emphasized that curfew exercises are not the first case in the history of Lithuania, the last time they took place before the country joined NATO. Therefore, according to him, the institutional memory has already disappeared.
As previously announced, the exercises of the Lithuanian army and NATO allies are taking place in the capital and Kaunas on May 6-8. During the exercise, the readiness of institutions, bodies and organizations to carry out mobilization and the tasks of receiving allies, requisitioning of property and the announcement of a curfew are checked.
ELTA reminds that NATO started the largest military exercise since the Cold War in January of this year. As previously announced, the exercises are designed to simulate NATO’s response to an attack by a rival such as Russia. They will involve 50 ships, 80 aircraft and more than 1,100 combat vehicles. The military maneuvers are being carried out as NATO reorganizes its defenses following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Nausėda: in the “Thunder Thunder” exercise, both strong and problematic areas became apparent
As the “Thunderbolt 2024” military exercise continues, President Gitanas Nausėda says that the training is going smoothly so far. However, the head of the country, who acted as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces on Wednesday in a military exercise, admits that certain episodes that need to be corrected have also been identified.
“It seems to me that during these exercises, both the strong points of the exercises and the places where work needs to be done and some problem areas need to be better planned and algorithms for their solution are revealed very well.” Yes, it is very useful”, G. Nausėda told journalists after the exercise.
“I want to say one thing – we are doing this so that there will always be peace in Lithuania. The better we create our response and collective security mechanisms, the safer we will feel, the more people will be able to live more calmly and not be afraid of every little thing”, added the head of the country.
Army Commander Valdemaras Rupšys called the President’s participation in military exercises an exceptional day.
“Today is a truly exceptional day for the Lithuanian army and armed forces – this is the stage of the exercise, when the strategic command post is activated and today we have the President of the Republic of Lithuania not as a guest, but as a participant in these exercises and the main decision-maker,” said V. Rupšys.
“There really was an opportunity to discuss very relevant issues related to strategic decisions. (…) I am happy to say that we really succeeded in synchronizing the activities of the strategic headquarters, the Supreme Headquarters of the Armed Forces, and the tactical headquarters, ensuring the exchange of information, management and leadership,” added the army commander.
In order to oblige the leaders of the country to move to Turniške, G. Nausėda is ironic: it is possible to put
“When you are not in danger yourself, you can regulate the living conditions of others,” G. Nausėda told reporters on Wednesday.
Reacting to the Government’s decisions, G. Nausėda ironically proposed to determine the territory from which the presidents could not leave.
“By the way, I would say that maybe it is necessary to establish an enclosure for the president, for example, from which he cannot leave. About Turniškes, for example, 2 kilometers in one direction or the other. He could mushroom, but he couldn’t leave. That’s how I appreciate it,” said the leader of the Daukanta Square Chamber.
“You can put it on after a while,” he added.
ELTA reminds that on Wednesday the Government approved the proposal of Seimas member Matas Maldeikis to legally oblige the President and Prime Minister of Lithuania to live in the residences assigned to them in Turniškės.
The entry into force of the draft law is scheduled for when the new head of state and prime minister are appointed after the 2024 presidential and Seimas elections.
At the beginning of 2021, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė moved to the residence designated for the Prime Minister in Turiniškės, but the current President G. Nausėda refused to do so. According to the presidency, such a decision was made taking into account the conclusions of the experts who analyzed the condition of the Turniškii residence and prepared possible scenarios for its renovation.
Currently, the Chancellery of the Presidency manages 3 buildings in Turniškės by right of trust and land plots on the basis of use. The main building of the presidential residence was built in 1940. After the restoration of Lithuania’s independence and the reconstruction of the building, presidents Valdas Adamkus and Rolandas Paksas lived in the residence, later – president Dalia Grybauskaitė.
Tags: Curfew ordeal passed Army chief names important lesson
