Lithuania held a parade dedicated to the Armed Forces Day

Lithuania held a parade on Armed Forces Day with armored vehicles from NATO allies.

Lrytas reported on this.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, Armed Forces Commander Valdemaras Rupšys, and Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas attended the ceremony.

Commander of the Estonian Army Martin Herem, Commander of the Latvian National Armed Forces Leonīds Kalniņš, Commander of Germany’s armed forces Carsten Breuer, Commander of NATO’s Northeast Multinational Corps Jürgen-Joachim von Sandrart, Commander of the German Bundeswehr 41st Mechanized Infantry Brigade Christian Nawrat, and other guests observed the parade.

“It is important that our soldiers are ready for any challenge. A lot of work has already been done. Modernization of the Lithuanian army has become a national priority. Forgetting about previous doubts, we have finally significantly increased funding for national defense and started forming a division,” President Nausėda stated.

He also thanked the NATO soldiers serving in Lithuania.

“I am sincerely grateful to every soldier from our NATO allies who are serving here today, far from home, participating in exercises and strengthening interoperability with our troops,” he said.

Nausėda emphasized the importance of public support for the army and noted that this holiday is also a demonstration of Lithuania’s full support for Ukraine, which is defending itself against Russian aggression.

Valdemaras Rupšys, Lithuanian Armed Forces Commander, stated that the Lithuanian Armed Forces demonstrate readiness to respond from the first alarm. He emphasized that allied soldiers and military equipment would provide the necessary response to any aggression against the country.

More than 1,400 military personnel from 19 countries marched down Konstitucijos Avenue in Vilnius during the parade. They included military personnel stationed in the Baltic States from Canada and the United States.

Soldiers from NATO’s forward battlegroup from Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Norway, and Germany were also present. They carried the historical and national flags of Lithuania, the flag of the Lithuanian army, and the flags of allied countries.

More than 100 units of military equipment took part in the parade: Vilkas infantry fighting vehicles, Puma, Bradley, Marder, and CV 90 tracked infantry fighting vehicles, NASAMS air defense systems, PzH 2000 and M109 self-propelled howitzers, Leopard 2 and Abrams tanks, and other armored vehicles.

On November 22, Militarnyi reported that Lithuania transferred 3 million 7.62×51 mm cartridges to the Ukrainian Defense Forces as part of a new defense assistance package.