On July 14 Chief of Defence of Lithuania General Valdemaras Rupšys was attended the military ceremony and French Armed Forces parade at the National Day of France, or Bastille Day, celebration in Paris at the invitation of the Chief of the Defence Staff of France General Thierry Burkhard. During the visit Chief of Defence was bestowed with the Officer’s Cross of the Legion of Horror conferred by decree of President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron. It is the highest decoration of France awarded for exceptional merit to the people of France. General Thierry Burkhard highlighted General Rupšys’ exceptional role, leadership and personal contribution in strengthening bilateral military cooperation and ties between the two states and peoples when presenting the state decoration.
According to Chief of Defence, the honor from France is a particularly high evaluation of dedication to service and merits of everyone across the Lithuanian Armed Forces – service and unit commanders, officers and enlisted personnel non-commissioned officers.
According to General Valdemaras Rupšys, the threats coming from the East and global challenges of today impose a new reality that challenges Europe to take more responsibility for its security. France is and has always played an exceptional role in taking responsibility for the future of the whole continent of Europe. France is one of the most active contributors to the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states whose fighter jets have already conduced 10 rotations since 2007 protecting airspace of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland.
France also rotates contingents to the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Groups in the eastern flank. In 2020, the NATO eFP BG in Rukla included several hundred French troops. The French military is currently in command of the NATO eFP Romania and has troops in the multinational battalion in Estonia.
The Lithuanian and the French Armed Forces are interlinked in intense cooperation. Consultations are conducted concerning the possibilities for France to contribute to the Rotational NATO Air Defence Model in Lithuania, in the area of artillery capability development – concerning the potential deployment of the Caesar 6X6 155 mm self-propelled howitzers in Lithuania for a range of different exercises and training of qualified personnel. There is also an ongoing acquisition procedure for the 155 mm Caesar MK-II artillery system, while intense bilateral military contacts are maintained between the different Lithuanian and French armed services and military units, joint readiness activities and training for different military subject-matter experts are conducted.
After the decoration ceremony Lithuanian and French Chiefs of Defence observed the Bastille Day parade. It is the largest and oldest military parade in Europe held to mark the occasion since 1880. Though located in the Avenue des Champs-Élysées since 1919 but this year it was moved to nearby streets due to preparations for the Olympic Games Paris due in a few weeks. The parade comprised approx. 4000 French troops and 45 aircraft this year. It was inspected by President of France Emmanuel Macron and observed by top state officials.
Lithuanian military personnel is providing aid to the French colleagues in the run-up of the Olympic Games Paris: Col Juozas Vitkus Engineer Battalion cynologists and K9 officers.
