BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 31. Lithuania’s Deputy
Defense Minister, Tomas Godliauskas, visited Israel to strengthen
bilateral cooperation in defense, crisis management, and
cybersecurity through high-level meetings, joint initiatives, and
strategic industry partnerships, Trend reports.
In the course of the meeting,Lithuania’s Deputy Defense
Minister, Tomas Godliauskas, noted that dialogue with Israel is
vital for Lithuania at every level of defense and security, as we
share a common understanding of threats.
”Israel’s experience in crisis management, civil defense,
cybersecurity, and the defense industry is strategically important
to us. Lithuania and Israel have agreed to strengthen mutual
resilience through long-term partnership, joint projects,
capability development, and joint exercises, including assessments
of sectoral preparedness and resilience,” added Deputy Minister
Godliauskas.
During the visit, Deputy Minister Godliauskas met with Joseph
Shapiro, Deputy Head of the National Emergency Management
Authority; Amir Baram, Director General of the Israeli Ministry of
Defense; Dror Shalom, Head of the Political-Military Bureau; Yair
Kulas, Head of SIBAT (Directorate for International Defense
Cooperation); Colonel Elad Adri, Chief of Staff of the Home Front
Command; and leaders from both the Israeli government’s
cybersecurity agencies and the private cyber sector.
He also visited the 98th Paratroopers Division and met with
Brigadier General Benny Ben-Ari of the 55th Brigade.
The discussions covered a broad range of national security
topics, including civil defense implementation models, public
crisis preparedness, early warning systems, rapid response
capabilities, air defense, critical infrastructure protection, and
cybersecurity threat management.
The Deputy Minister expressed interest in Israel’s integrated
approach to civil-military cooperation, coordination between
national and local government, and the continuity of government
during emergencies. Key areas of focus included public shelter
infrastructure, crisis alert systems, and operational resilience
during wartime scenarios.
In cybersecurity meetings, Deputy Minister Godliauskas presented
Lithuania’s recent achievements, including the launch of the
International Cyber Threat Analysis Hub (ICTAH) under the National
Cyber Security Center, and the newly established Cyber Defense
Directorate within the Lithuanian Armed Forces. He also explored
opportunities for joint training and threat intelligence sharing,
particularly in threat hunting, capacity development, and expert
exchange.
In the area of defense industry cooperation, Deputy Minister
Godliauskas emphasized Lithuania’s goal to develop strategic
partnerships with Israeli companies, not only through procurement,
but also through joint investments, research initiatives,
manufacturing in Lithuania, and the integration of Lithuanian
companies into international supply chains.
