Roundup: Lithuania's new security chief officially starts duty

The new chief of Lithuania's State Security Department (SSD) has been sworn into the office by President Dalia Grybauskaite on Tuesday.

Darius Jauniskis, the new head of SSD, took an oath of allegiance in his service to the state of Lithuania.

Lithuania has been facing unconventional attacks recently, therefore, SSD must participate actively while preventing these hostile activities, Giedre Kaminskaite-Salters, chief adviser to Grybauskaite, said in an interview with local radio broadcaster Ziniu radijas on Tuesday.

According to Kaminskaite-Salters, the fact that the new SSD chief is little known to the society only shows that he has earned his post with his experience rather than political maneuvering and high ratings.

"We should admit that Lithuania currently is under unconventional attack -- we can notice information and cyber attacks, cases of inciting discord, activities of shadowy structures," the presidential adviser was quoted as saying by ELTA news agency.

"The SSD should be there for us in the front lines," she added.

Jauniskis earlier promised to pay more attention to informing the public about the activities of the department and threats for national security.

"Monitoring of the situation is necessary, yet insufficient; preventing of the threats by legal means is needed," Jauniskis was quoted by local news website vz.lt as saying during hearings in the parliament last week.

"The clear map of threats must be designed and active prevention must be implemented, while coordinating these activities among various institutions," he said.

SSD should take a leading role in this process, Jauniskis added. New state security service's approach to the current challenges is needed under new director, Grybauskaite said last week, after presenting Jauniskis as a candidate to the office.

"We need a new approach, new style of leadership and ability to bear the real responsibility for the results of the work. We don't need observers anymore," Grybauskaite said.

Jauniskis, who replaced the former SSD director Gediminas Grina, starts his duty as of April 14.

His candidacy was approved on April 9 by the Seimas, Lithuanian parliament, with overwhelming support of 107 members, with none voting against and 1 abstention.

The director of security department is appointed for a five-year term of office and dismissed by the president with the approval of the Seimas.

The 47-year-old Jauniskis has experience in military leadership and intelligence. He has been part of the armed forces for 20 years and has headed the special operations forces since 2008. Endit