By Petras Vaida (November 11, 2011)
Solving military and civilian challenges is precisely where Lithuania’s Energy Security Centre could make a reasonable contribution to NATO activities, said Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Azubalis at the opening of the conference and a specialized exhibition “Innovative Energy Solutions for Military Applications” on 10 November in Vilnius.
According to the Minister, Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defence have already initiated a process to seek Centre’s accreditation with NATO as the Centre of Excellence for Energy Security, informed BC Lithuanian MFA.
“As such, the Centre would work to combine national efforts to bring energy innovations and best practices to all NATO forces,” said A.Ažubalis.
The event at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre presents and discusses the use of innovative energy solutions for military needs. Representatives from the Lithuanian and overseas public sector, industry and academic community are seeking solutions to reduce the dependence of today’s military on fossil fuels, to find its substitutes, to effectively use limited energy resources during military operations and exercises, and to apply technological innovations to help ensure this.
According to the Minister, with difficult economic situation worldwide it is important to make the best use of new technology not only in civilian life, but also in military. This is particularly important if we wish to make efficient use of limited resources increasing the military combat power in missions and during operations.
According to A.Ažubalis, Lithuania is one of the first Allies to initiate the discussion exploring energy efficiency for military applications.
“To be effective, NATO needs to join efforts and make the best of resources available, particularly in the military area. I believe that today’s conference will be one of the first but significant steps towards more effective and capable Alliance. I would like to see the results of this conference reflected in further NATO deliberations on energy security issues and included in the report that will be submitted for consideration at NATO Summit in Chicago next year,” said the Minister.
The conference and the exhibition are co-organised by Energy Security Centre under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, NATO Emerging Security Challenges Division, NATO Partnership for Peace and Security Programme and the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA).
29 solar cells manufacturers and other high-tech leaders, such as Bren-tronics’, Serco’, SAFT’, UnatSolar, and others are taking part in the specialized exhibition “Innovative Energy Solutions for Military Applications”.