Hon. Dovilė Šakalienė is a member of the Lithuanian Parliament and served as Minister of National Defence from 2024 to 2025. During her tenure, Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence released its first Indo-Pacific Security Strategy, underscoring Lithuania’s commitment to sustained cooperation with Taiwan in areas such as societal resilience and the defence industry. She is widely regarded as a key political figure in Lithuania, known for her broad and strategic perspective on geopolitics and security.

Earlier in her career, Šakalienė worked as a journalist and has long been engaged in human rights advocacy, with a particular focus on the protection of vulnerable groups. She has served in parliament since 2016, where, in addition to education and human rights issues, she has taken a strong interest in foreign policy, geopolitics, and regional security. As a member of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence, she has consistently emphasized the need for democratic nations to stand united against authoritarian expansion and has advocated for strengthening national defence capabilities and comprehensive civil defence.