From 1978 to 1982, he studied at the
Tashkent Higher All-Arms Command School. After 1982, he became a platoon commander. and in 1983 was sent to Afghanistan as part of units of the
Turkestan Military District's
40th Army. From 1988 to 1991, he studied at the
Frunze Military Academy in
Moscow. By 1991, Tutkus withdrew from the
Soviet Armed Forces and became a founding member of the modern Lithuanian Armed Forces. At the end of his term, he became Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. On 24 July 2009,
Arvydas Pocius was assigned as Chief of Defence and Tutkus was dismissed. From 2014 to 2015, he was Director of the Lithuanian Defense and Security Industry Association.
Political career On 5 October 2023, Tutkus announced his intention to run as a candidate in the
2024 Lithuanian presidential election, supported by the
Party "Together with the Vytis", formerly known as the Lithuanian Pensioners' Party. In his electoral program, he supports
nationalization of strategic sectors of the economy, abandoning the
Euro and restoring the
litas,
opposition to LGBT rights and maintaining friendly relations with both
Ukraine and
Russia. Tutkus unsuccessfully participated in the
2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election as the representative of the
Lithuanian Christian Democracy Party and later became party's interim chairman after the retirement of
Mindaugas Puidokas. In 2025, Valdas Tutkus returned to the
Lithuanian Regions Party, of which he is the founder. In 2024, he left the party due to disagreements with its leaders. == Personal life ==