‘From Vilnius to Washington, D.C.: Shaping NATO’s Future in a New Era of Collective Defence’

The Baltic Military Conference 2024 entitled “From Vilnius to Washington, D.C.: Shaping NATO’s Future in a New Era of Collective Defence” addressed military strategic issues, including NATO’s military adaptation to meet security challenges and threats, the state of play of the implementation of forward defence, the integration of NATO’s multi-domain operational capabilities, drivers for multinational convergence of enabling NATO’s capabilities, strengthening defence ties with partners.

The Baltic Military Conference 2024 was dedicated to the 75^th anniversary of NATO and the 20^th anniversary of Lithuania’s membership in NATO. This conference served as a unique platform for high-level discussions on military strategic matters, featuring distinguished speakers, including HE Gitanas Nausėda, President of the Republic of Lithuania; Ingrida Šimonytė, Prime Minister of Lithuania; Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania; Dr Arvydas Anušauskas, Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania; Siemtje Möller, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Minister of Defence, Federal Ministry of Defence of Germany; the Honorable Ryan D. McCarthy, former Secretary of the United States Army; Oleksii Reznikov, former Minister of Defence of Ukraine; Admiral Sir Keith E. Blount KCB OBE, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR), General Chris Badia, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (DSACT), General (ret) Rajmund Andrzejczak, former Chief of Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, the Lord Dannatt GCB CBE MC, member of the House of Lords, UK.

The flagship Baltic Military Conference 2024 conveyed several key points:

1. NATO must not only ensure the continuous development of military capabilities, but also to uphold the strong political will to use them when necessary. The future of NATO is being shaped at present, driven by collective responsibility and a ‘winning mindset’.  
2. European defence must be strengthened through increased investment in defence capabilities, the enhancement of the defence industry, and adherence to agreed-upon commitments regarding defence and deterrence.
3. The presence of the United States in Europe must be maintained, requiring not only the support of US political leadership but also the backing of the US public.
4. Russia must be contained, both by ensuring Ukraine’s victory and by restraining Russia’s military power.