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.