COURTESY CALL ON NEW DEFENSE MINISTER OLEKAS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VILNIUS 000808

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/NB, PM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2016
TAGS: PREL MARR LT
SUBJECT: COURTESY CALL ON NEW DEFENSE MINISTER OLEKAS



1. (U) Classified by: Pol/Econ Chief Rebecca Dunham for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


2. (C) Lithuania's new Defense Minister Juozas Olekas
underscored continuity in Lithuania's defense priorities and
optimism about future spending during the Ambassador's
courtesy call. The Minister expressed hope that the support
of PM Kirkilas would mean an increased military budget to
meet the needs of Lithuania's missions abroad and its
military transformation. Olekas also called attention to
Lithuania's efforts to create a joint air-policing plan with
its Baltic neighbors and its efforts to engage its non-NATO
"neighbors"--especially, Ukraine and Georgia--on the road to
NATO integration. On Lebanon, Olekas reiterated his
statement of last week that Lithuania saw no possibility of
contributing to the current UN mission in Lebanon, as the UN
did not need the forces that Lithuania could provide. End
Summary.

--------------
Optimism on budget increases
--------------


3. (C) Olekas repeatedly stressed the strong support of
Lithuania's new Prime Minister (and former Defense Minister)
Gediminas Kirkilas for increased spending to implement
Lithuania's plans to reform its military (and, of course,
meet NATO's 2% spending minimum). Olekas predicted that the
military budget would improve next year in response to the
Ambassador's comment that military spending has been heading
in the wrong direction. Although Olekas said he did not
foresee a one-year solution, he expects to see a trend
towards 2% of GDP. Lithuania's defense spending in 2006 is
budgeted at about 1.27% of GDP, the same as in 2005.

--------------
Lithuania prioritizing international missions
--------------


4. (C) Olekas expressed gratitude for U.S. support of
Lithuania's international missions, especially the
Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Ghor
province, Afghanistan. The PRT remains Lithuania's top
military priority, said Olekas, and he expressed pleasure
with how the military side of the PRT was operating. He said
that the Ministry was now trying to attract more of a
civilian component to the Mission.


5. (C) On Iraq, Olekas informed us of preliminary
consideration of a program to train Iraqi soldiers in the
Lithuanian military academy, saying that trained Iraqi
military was essential to the international mission there.
Lithuania currently sponsors training for captains from the
militaries of several countries, including Ukraine, Moldova,
Georgia and Belarus.

--------------
Lebanon
--------------


6. (C) Olekas reiterated his official statement of last week
that Lithuania does not plan on sending any troops to
Lebanon, saying that the only possibilities Lithuania saw
were not on the UN priority needs list. He did not foreclose
the possibility of future contributions should the UN needs
change, however.

--------------
Developing a Baltic air-policing plan
--------------


7. (C) The minister outlined Lithuania's coordination with
Latvia and Estonia in developing a proposed NATO air-policing
policy vision for 2018. The three Baltic states are holding
meetings in Riga in the coming weeks he said, and
Undersecretary Renatas Norkus will brief U.S. officials in
Washington on the plan during his September 17 visit.

-------------- --------------
Lithuania to meet both NRF and EU Battlegroup requirements
-------------- --------------


8. (C) Olekas said that Lithuania sees some differences
between NATO Response Force (NRF) and EU Battlegroup demands,
and the limits of coordination between the two. Lithuania
nevertheless is on track to meet both sets of obligations.
He added that Lithuania should meet the 2010 Headline goal

VILNIUS 00000808 002 OF 002


for a deployable contribution to an EU Battlegroup, and is
working with its Baltic neighbors to contribute to the NATO
Response Force in the future. Lithuania plans to contribute
to NRF 10 under Danish leadership.

--------------
Neighborhood policy
--------------


9. (C) Olekas also raised Lithuania's efforts to engage its
"neighborhood countries" on the road to transatlantic
integration. Specifically mentioning Lithuania's support for
MAP for Ukraine and ID for Georgia, he referred to
Lithuania's various technical assistance programs to help
these countries qualify for the next steps in NATO
engagement.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


10. (C) With a background in Health (as a doctor and more
recently as Health Minister) Olekas has drawn some concern in
the press about his qualifications for his new post as
Minister of Defense. He called the transition "a bit
difficult" but cited the PM's support as critical to his
learning. Nevertheless, though still new to his portfolio,
Olekas appeared well-briefed and gave no indication of plans
to change Lithuania's defense policy. We are cautiously
optimistic that Olekas will make progress increasing defense
spending, especially with the support of a former defense
minister in the prime minister's chair.
CLOUD