The international FORTE 2026 conference opened in Vilnius on 27 October with the “Night Owls” session, bringing together senior Lithuanian officials and academic leadership to discuss energy security challenges amid growing global uncertainty.
The opening discussion featured Lukas Savickas, Minister of Energy of Lithuania; Taurimas Valys, Minister of Finance of Lithuania; Kristupas Vaitiekūnas, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania; Dr Karolis Aleksa, Vice-Minister of National Defence of Lithuania; and Dr Eugenijus Valatka, Rector of Kaunas University of Technology.
Key topics included disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf LNG infrastructure, low European gas storage levels, tight diesel markets, and their implications for military fuel supply, Host Nation Support and winter preparedness.
Participants discussed how civil and military institutions can protect critical energy infrastructure—including electricity grids, interconnectors, LNG terminals and subsea assets—from sabotage, drones and cyber threats. Lessons from Ukraine and incidents in the Baltic Sea highlighted the importance of infrastructure protection, operational continuity and crisis preparedness.
The discussion also addressed Allied cooperation, sanctions coordination, reducing dependence on Russian gas, securing critical supply chains, and translating research and skills development into practical military energy capabilities to strengthen resilience and deterrence.
The opening session set the stage for the next two days of FORTE 2026, which will bring together policymakers, military representatives, industry leaders and experts to exchange insights and explore practical approaches to strengthening energy resilience in a contested, multi-domain environment.
