Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė has proposed temporarily closing specific sections of national airspace to better respond to unauthorized drone incursions, aiming to reduce pressure on NATO fighter jet pilots during such incidents, Delfi reported on July 30
Speaking at a press conference following a high-level meeting with President Gitanas Nausėda and senior officials, Šakalienė highlighted the bureaucratic hurdles that currently delay rapid airspace closures when unidentified aerial objects are detected.
“When NATO air police are tasked with destroying an object, it is difficult to bureaucratically close certain areas of airspace so that they would be free of civilian objects. A lightning-fast closure is impossible. It is a complex bureaucratic procedure,” Šakalienė said on July 29 from the Presidential Palace.
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According to Šakalienė, preparations are now underway to enable more efficient shutdowns of airspace sectors in response to drone threats.
However, she emphasized that any decision to engage aerial targets during peacetime would remain under the authority of Lithuania’s political leadership.
Earlier, Lithuanian authorities confirmed that an unidentified drone likely entered the country’s airspace, potentially from Belarus, public broadcaster LRT reported.
Officials said local residents reported seeing a possible drone early on July 28.
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