US military representatives visit Šiauliai to discuss crisis preparedness

Representatives from the US Army’s Civil Affairs Team, currently on a rotational mission in Lithuania, visited Šiauliai to assess municipal crisis preparedness, civil defence organisation, and ways to strengthen cooperation with local institutions, LRT reports.

The delegation, which is touring all Lithuanian municipalities, aims to better understand how local institutions prepare for transitions from peacetime to crisis or wartime conditions, and how cooperation with allies could be organised.

“We want to better understand how municipalities prepare for crises, which institutions are responsible for specific functions, and how the US Army could most effectively collaborate with its Lithuanian partners,” said Captain Aaron Eyerly, a civil affairs officer assigned to the US Army’s V Corps.

The meeting in Šiauliai included Mayor Artūras Visockas, Deputy Mayor Justinas Švėgžda, and Paulius Stočkus, head of the Civil Defence Preparedness Division. Discussions focused not only on institutional readiness but also on societal resilience, including the importance of public information, practical training, the involvement of non-governmental organisations, and business cooperation to strengthen the city’s crisis preparedness.

Šiauliai officials highlighted the city’s 135 shelters, which can protect more than 60% of its residents. The possibility of organising joint crisis management exercises and a practical seminar in Šiauliai, involving representatives from municipalities, the military, and other responsible institutions, was also discussed.