Releases

Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lieutenant General Arvydas Pocius is paying a visit in Finland on May 6 through 8. The Lithuanian Chief of Defence met with Chief of Defence of Finland General Ari Puheloinen and representatives of the Finnish Defence Forces in Helsinki.

At a meeting at the Army Headquarters of Finland the Chiefs of Defence discussed matters related to the Common Security and Defence Policy, possible cooperation in military personnel training, and exchanged experience in the field of mobilisation. General Puheloinen also presented to the Lithuanian Chief of Defence the reform of the Finnish Defence Forces.

The main aim of the visit was to discuss the perspectives of recommencing the cooperation between the Lithuanian Land Force's and the Danish Army's Training Centres, as well as a possible closer liaison between the National Defence Volunteer Force and the Danish Home Guard. In the past volunteer forces of both countries used to conduct experience exchange activities and various courses. Lithuanian military used to participate in Denmark-hosted military exercises, several exercises of the multinational "Open Spirit" series have been organised in Lithuania.

On April 24 through 26 a meeting of the Chiefs of Defence of the Baltic States took place in Kõue, Estonia. The meeting was attended by Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lieutenant General Arvydas Pocius, Chief of Defence of Latvia Lieutenant General Raimonds Graube and Chief of Defence of Estonia Major General Riho Terras.

The meeting Baltic Chiefs of Defence discussed the capabilities their countries could commit for standby in the NATO Response Force (NRF) in 2016. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have plans to form a joint battalion-sized unit for the purpose. A joint battalion of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia conducted standby in the NRF in 2010, then the joint battalion's staff and the major part of maneuver and logistic provision units were formed by personnel of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.

On April 22 through 24 a course on Lifecycle Management was delivered by U.S. Marines to troops and specialists of the Logistics Command of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.

The training event focused on the challenges in the areas of logistics staff, structure maintenance management, inspection of supply provision, provision of logistic support and budgeting. The U.S. Marines shared their experience in the area of logistics and compared logistics systems of both countries in an active dispute. "We can use different names and terms to refer to logistics but in the end we will be discussing the same thing only in different ways," Jack, a member of the Logistics Command staff who assisted in arranging the course, commented on the differences in Lithuanian and U.S. logistics systems.

On April 24 Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lieutenant General Arvydas Pocius left for Estonia a meeting of the Baltic Chiefs of Defence will be taking place from April 24 to 26 in Kõue. The meeting will be attended by Lt Gen Arvydas Pocius, Lieutenant General Raimonds Graube, Chief of Defence of Latvia, and Major General Riho Terras, Chief of Defence of Estonia.

The meeting will focus on the relevant points of the Baltic defence cooperation. The Baltic Chiefs of Defence are expected to address such points as capability development, development of the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) and military training. Trilateral projects, the Baltic Naval Squadron BALTRON, and the Baltic Air Surveillance Network and Control System BALTNET, joint military training events of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia held in the territories of the three Baltic States, and NATO's Air Policing mission in the Baltics will also be discussed.

On April 16 through 19 training to use non-lethal weapons in riot control was held at the Lithuanian Land Force Juozas Lukša Training Centre (LF JLTC). The exercise was conducted by U.S. instructors to military personnel of the divisions of the Lithuanian Land Force and officers of the Public Security Service under the Ministry of the Interior.

The exercise trained soldiers and officers an array of actions to apprehend and control struggling persons, various formations and modes of movement when using riot control equipment. The trained personnel had to test the effect of teargas and electroshock (TAZER) on a human body themselves. The exercise participants affected by teargas had to get their act together and complete a set of tasks to meet the requirements.

On April 16 through 17 the Headquarters Allied Air Command Ramstein (HQ AC Ramstein) is for the 14th time holding the Baltic Region Training Event (BRTE XIV) in the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

According to the BRTE XIV scenario, an aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea loses communication for undetermined reasons and heads for the border of the Kingdom of Sweden, there JAS-39 "Gripen" fighter-jets of the Swedish Air Force meet, intercept and escort it to the border with the Baltic countries. At this point the aircraft experiencing communications failure is intercepted by F-16 fighter-jets of the Air Force of the Kingdom of Denmark and is escorted to the destination airport.

A certain hustle is felt across state administrative and political sectors  of Lithuania ahead of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) that Lithuania will be holding in the second semester of 2013. Lithuania's National Defence System makes no exception. Political Director of the Ministry of National Defence Dr. Vaidotas Urbelis answers questions on a variety of defence policy-related aspects of the upcoming Presidency.

On April 10 military personnel of the Airspace Control Centre of the Airspace Surveillance and Control Command (Karmėlava) of the Lithuanian Air Force took part in an air training event Baltic Eye.

The training event gave an opportunity for master and fighter controllers of the Airspace Control Centre to control L-159 fighters of the Czech Air Force flying in Lithuania's airspace.