Chief of Defence of the Republic of Lithuania | |
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Lietuvos kariuomenės vadas | |
![]() Insignia of the Chief of Defence | |
![]() Flag of the Chief of Defence | |
Lithuanian Armed Forces | |
Reports to | Minister of National Defence |
Nominator | Minister of National Defence |
Term length | 5 years |
Formation | 7 May 1919 (Historic) 20 October 1993 |
First holder | Silvestras Žukauskas (Historic) Jonas Andriškevičius |
Website | kariuomene.lt |
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Lithuanian Armed Forces |
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Components |
Administration |
Personnel |
Equipment |
History |
Lithuania portal |
Chief of Defence of the Republic of Lithuania is Chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and the national defence organisations.
No. | Portrait | Army Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
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1 | General Silvestras Žukauskas (1860–1937) | 7 May 1919 | 26 September 1919 | 142 days | [1] | |
- | Lieutenant General Pranas Liatukas (1876–1945) Acting | 7 October 1919 | 23 February 1920 | 139 days | [1] | |
(1) | Silvestras Žukauskas (1860–1937) | General23 February 1920 | 14 June 1920 | 112 days | [1] | |
- | Jonas Galvydis-Bykauskas (1864–1943) Acting | General9 April 1920 | 7 July 1920 | 89 days | [1] | |
- | Konstantinas Žukas (1885–1962) Acting | Lieutenant General7 July 1920 | 7 April 1921 | 274 days | [1] | |
- | Juozas Kraucevičius (1879–1964) Acting | Lieutenant General29 May 1921 | 11 February 1922 | 258 days | [1] | |
- | Juozas Stanaitis (1865–1925) Acting | Lieutenant General11 February 1922 | 5 June 1923 | 1 year, 114 days | [1] | |
(1) | Silvestras Žukauskas (1860–1937) | General6 June 1923 | 26 January 1928 | 4 years, 234 days | [1] | |
2 | Divisional general Stasys Raštikis (1896–1985) | 1 January 1935 | 22 April 1940 | 5 years, 112 days | [1] | |
3 | Vincas Vitkauskas (1890–1965) | Divisional general22 April 1940 | 12 July 1940 | 81 days | [1] |
No. | Portrait | Chief of Defence | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
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1 | Major general Jonas Andriškevičius (born 1944) | 20 October 1993 | 1 July 1999 | 5 years, 254 days | [2] | |
2 | Jonas Kronkaitis (born 1935) | Major general1 July 1999 | 30 June 2004 | 4 years, 365 days | – | |
3 | Valdas Tutkus (born 1960) | Lieutenant general30 June 2004 | 3 July 2009 | 5 years, 3 days | [2] | |
4 | Arvydas Pocius (born 1957) | Lieutenant general24 July 2009 | 24 July 2014 | 5 years, 0 days | [3] | |
5 | Jonas Vytautas Žukas (born 1962) | Lieutenant general24 July 2014 | 25 July 2019 | 5 years, 1 day | [3] | |
6 | Valdemaras Rupšys (born 1967) | General25 July 2019 | 24 July 2024 | 4 years, 365 days | [4] | |
7 | Raimundas Vaikšnoras (born 1970) | General24 July 2024 | Incumbent | 10 days | [5] |
The Lithuanian Armed Forces are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Naval Force, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service becomes part of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
Lieutenant general is a military rank used in many countries. The rank originates from the Old European System. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a captain general.
Mechanized Infantry Brigade "Iron Wolf" is the core unit of the Lithuanian Army and forms the country's contribution to NATO collective defence. The name of the brigade relates to the Lithuanian mythical character from the medieval foundation legend of the Vilnius city.
The Mercedes-Benz Zetros is an off-road truck for extreme operations. It was first presented at the 2008 Eurosatory defence industry trade show in Paris. The Zetros is manufactured at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth, Germany. The truck is designed to be compatible with the Hercules C-130 transport and also fits into a standard German railway carriage. In 2019 Mercedes-Benz presented a facelift of the Zetros with a more powerful engine and a bigger number of variants.
The Lithuanian Land Forces (LLF) form the backbone of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, capable of acting as an integral part of NATO forces. Lithuanian Land Forces consist of three brigades, the Engineer Battalion, and the National Defence Volunteers Division.
The Air Defence Battalion is the main air defence unit of the Lithuanian Air Force. It was created as part of efforts to strengthen and organise the air defence capabilities of the Lithuanian Air Force (LTAF), in 2000.
Lieutenant General Arvydas Pocius is a former Chief of Defence of Lithuania. During his military career, Pocius has held various positions, including Chief of Staff of Voluntary Service of National Defence, and Commander of the Lithuanian Land Force. Pocius was Lithuanian champion of freestyle wrestling in junior, youth and adult groups.
The Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania is government institution in Lithuania responsible for the organization of national defence.
The Military Ordinariate of Lithuania is a military ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church. Immediately subject to the Holy See, it provides pastoral care to Roman Catholics serving in the Lithuanian Armed Forces and their families. The military ordinaries have the rights and duties of a bishop and participate in the Lithuanian Bishops' Conferences.
A Senior sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is usually placed above sergeant.
Major general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces Headquarters Band, also known as the LKO HQ Band is a Lithuanian musical unit stationed in Vilnius, being attached to the Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion and one of 5 that are based in the country. It is the largest professional military band in Lithuania as well as in the military bands in the other Baltic States, being larger than the Kaitseväe Orkester and the Central Military Band of the Latvian National Armed Forces. The band is currently led by Egidijus Ališauskas, with assistance from the deputy commander, Lieutenant Dainius Pavilionis.
The Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces Big Band is a Lithuanian musical group in the Lithuanian Armed Forces. It was founded in 1991 as the first official wind band of the armed forces. Most of the band's members are graduates of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and the Vilnius Conservatory. The 30 musicians of the big band have performed all over the Eurasia region, in countries such as in France, Poland, Italy, Estonia, Latvia, Russia, Belgium and Afghanistan. Captain Ričardas Čiupkovas is the current band leader and director of music of the KASPB.
Chief of the Defence Staff is the head of the Lithuanian Defence Staff responsible for the administrative, operational, and logistical needs of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
The Defence Staff is the main staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Since 2008, the staff reports to the Chief of Defence. Its main tasks are to plan, lead, and support military operations as well as to prepare strategic military plans.
Lieutenant General Valdas Tutkus is a Lithuanian former military officer who served as the Chief of Defence of the Republic of Lithuania from 2004 until 2009, having previously served as an Armed Forces Commander from 2001 to 2004. Tutkus was a candidate in the 2024 Lithuanian presidential election, but withdrew in April.
Major general Jonas Andriškevičius was a Lithuanian military figure and ex-Soviet military officer. He was the first Chief of Defence of Lithuania. He served in this position from 20 October 1993 to 1 July 1999.
General Valdemaras Rupšys is a Lithuanian military officer serving as the current Lithuanian Chief of Defence.