Giedrimas Jeglinskas | |
---|---|
Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Executive Management | |
In office 10 July 2019 –November 2022 | |
Preceded by | Wayne Bush |
Succeeded by | Carlo Borghini |
Vice-Minister of National Defence | |
In office 20 February 2017 –10 July 2019 | |
Prime Minister | Saulius Skvernelis |
Personal details | |
Born | Kaunas,Lithuania | 22 April 1979
Political party | Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" |
Alma mater | United States Military Academy Georgetown University Columbia Business School |
Giedrimas Jeglinskas is a Lithuanian politician and former NATO official who was the candidate of the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" in the 2024 Lithuanian presidential election. Previously,he served as Assistant Secretary General of NATO from 2019 to 2022 and Vice-Minister of National Defence from 2017 to 2019.
Jeglinskas was born in Kaunas on 22 April 1979 and enrolled in the Kaunas University of Technology in 1997,studying management,but left for the United States Military Academy after one year of studies. [1] He finished with a bachelor's degree in political science,and also acquired a master's degree in national security in Georgetown University and a master's degree in business management in the Columbia Business School. [2]
He served in the Lithuanian Armed Forces,in the Grand Duke Algirdas Mechanised Infantry Battalion as a platoon commander,as well as a senior intelligence analyst in the Second Investigation Department,before moving to the reserve. [3]
He was employed at Citigroup as vice president in Corporate Banking from 2010 to 2017. [4]
Jeglinskas was appointed as Vice-Minister of National Defence in February 2017,responsible for defense system procurement,citing his experience in the military and the business world. [5] During his tenure,he reformed defense system procurement and established the Defence Materiel Agency,responsible for organising public procurements and ensuring efficient use of funds. [3]
In July 2019,he left his post in the ministry and was hired as NATO Assistant Secretary General for Executive Management,responsible for human resources policy,budget planning,IT and daily operation of NATO headquarters. He was the first representative of Lithuania in NATO headquarters since its accession to the alliance in 2004. [3] During the Russian invasion of Ukraine,he was frequently invited by news outlets to commentate as an expert on national defense. [6]
Jeglinskas was among the potential 2024 presidential election candidates put forward by members of the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" in November 2023. [7] After party chairman and 2019 presidential election candidate Saulius Skvernelis refused to run again,the party nominated Jeglinskas on 11 November. [8] In his nomination acceptance speech,he criticized the incumbent president Gitanas Nausėda's lack of cooperation with the government and advocated for higher defense spending. [8]
He expressed his support for the "yes" vote in the 2024 Lithuanian constitutional referendum on permitting multiple citizenship. [9]
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The Lithuanian Special Operations Forces (LITHSOF) (Lithuanian:Lietuvos SpecialiųjųOperacijųPajėgos) is a special operation unit of the Lithuanian Armed Forces,formed exclusively of carefully selected,motivated and specially trained professionals. The main tasks of the Special Operations Force are direct action,special reconnaissance,and military assistance.
The Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania is government institution in Lithuania responsible for the organization of national defence.
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Saulius Skvernelis is a Lithuanian politician who served as prime minister of Lithuania between 2016 and 2020. He had previously served as police commissioner,and was Minister of the Interior from 2014 to 2016. Though he was an independent politician,he was backed by the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and was a member of its parliamentary group until 2022,as a result of which he became the first head of government in European history primarily backed by a green party.
Skvernelis Cabinet was the 17th cabinet of Lithuania since 1990. It consisted of the Prime Minister,who is the Head of Government,and 14 government ministers from the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union,Social Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania,Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania –Christian Families Alliance.
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.
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The Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" is a Lithuanian political party founded on 29 January 2022 by Saulius Skvernelis,former Prime Minister of Lithuania. The party describes itself as being centre-left on economic policy and socially conservative on socio-cultural issues.
Ignas Vėgėlė is a Lithuanian lawyer and right-wing politician who served as president of the Lithuanian Bar Association from 2014 to 2022,as well as president of the Lithuanian Lawyers' Association from 2013 to 2016. He was a member of the right-wing Christian conservative Lithuanian Christian Democrats from 1994 and served as the party's deputy chairman of the board from 2002 to 2004,and as interim chairman of the board from 2004 to 2006. Upon the party's merger with the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats,he became an independent politician.
The Union of the Fighters for Lithuania,previously known as the Union for the President of Lithuania was a minor political party in Lithuania of an eclectic far-right political orientation which was founded in 2011. It replaced the Lithuanian Liberty Union. It did not achieve any notable electoral results and was liquidated by the Supreme Election Commission in 2022 for failing to provide a list of members.
Presidential elections were held in Lithuania on 12 May 2024,alongside a referendum on allowing multiple citizenships. Incumbent President Gitanas Nausėda won re-election to a second term. The Lithuanian Central Election Commission closed the registration confirming viability of 15 people,that announced their candidacies,of which 12 proceeded to collect signatures from at least twenty thousand voters. Four contenders were repudiated or dropped out;eight were confirmed for the ballot.
A constitutional referendum was held in Lithuania on 12 May 2024,alongside the first round of the presidential elections. Voters were asked whether they approve of a constitutional amendment to allow Lithuanian citizens to hold dual citizenship. The results showed that a majority of voters were in favor of the proposal. However,the initiative failed to pass due to insufficient turnout.
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