News archive (2011 - 10)

A group of arms control inspectors of Belarus will be conducting verification of the Lithuanian Great Hetman Radvila Training Regiment from October 26 to 28.

The visit in a unit of the Lithuanian Armed Forces is conducted under the regulations of the Vienna Document 1999 of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and a bilateral agreement between Lithuania and Belarus regarding means of enhancing confidence and security.

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From October 24 to 26 the Lithuanian Armed Forces are holding the first joint field exercise and live firing of all the anti-tank units of the Lithuanian Land Force at the Pabradės Training Area.

During the exercise participants drill actions in a unit using anti-tank system CARL GUSTAF M3, single-shot anti-tank weapon AT4, recoilless anti-tank rifles PV1110 and medium-range anti-tank system JAVELIN.

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October 21, live firing exercise closed Strong Shield 2011, exercise of the Land Element of the Domestic Support Forces held in the Pabradės Training Area. Troops proved they were ready for military operations within the territory of Lithuania by successfully passing the third phase of the exercise – live firing with battle ammunition. Live firing drills involve automatic rifles, machine-guns, projectors and minethrowers of various calibers.

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October 20, Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lt Gen Arvydas Pocius met with Adjutant General of the Pennsylvania National Guard Maj Gen Wesley E. Craig.

During the visit the leading military officers discussed joint training events in Lithuania and the Baltic Sea region. They also addressed Lithuania’s participation in the ISAF mission in Ghor where Lithuanian and US troops collaborate within a Police Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team.

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“You are leaving for a really troubled country and therefore it is really important to understand in your hearts and souls the essential work you are doing. This will be the first deployment to Afghanistan to almost a half of you, so there must be some anxiety in your hearts,” said Minister of National Defence Rasa Juknevičienė in the deployment ceremony of the Lithuanian peacekeepers to the mission of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, October 21.

“Our soldiers, you help make our world safer and more peaceful,” R. Juknevičienė said. According to Minister, today the world marks the tenth anniversary of war in Afghanistan, the media is teeming with releases about bombings and deaths, but nevertheless, a great number of positive changes are also there in Afghanistan.

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Minister of National Defence Rasa Juknevičienė and Chief of Defence Lt Gen Arvydas Pocius extend their deepest condolences on behalf of the Ministry and the Armed Forces to Defence Minister of Estonia, Chief of Defence, people of Estonia and the family over the death of Cpl Agris Hutro in the province of Helmand, southern Afghanistan.

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From October 19 to 26 annual NATO Crisis Management Exercise 2011 (CMX-11) will take place.

In Lithuania the exercise will involve leadership of the National Defence System and the Armed Forces, and specialists of the Joint Headquarters. Office of the Prime Minister, Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Transport and Communications, Energy, and others, as well as institutions subordinate to the attending Ministries and Permanent Lithuanian Representation to NATO will also contribute to CMX-11.

The annual procedural decision making exercise will engage heads of both civilian and military institutions and specialists. During the exercise NATO crises management procedures are examined at strategic political level, decision making methods and means with regard to the keystone Alliance principles – collective decision making and consultations in the event of crisis.

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Investigation commission formed from representatives of the Ministry of National Defence have finalised the investigation into the possible causes of the collision of L-39 ZA Albatross light assault aircraft of the Lithuanian Air Force (LITHAF) and Mirage 2000C fighter of the French Air Force which occurred on August 30 this year.

According to the findings of the commission, during a scheduled training event for L-39 ZA Albatross light assault aircraft and Mirage 2000C fighters deployed on the Baltic Air Policing mission, L-39 ZA and one Mirage 2000C approached one another at a dangerously small distance while conducting interception and identification procedures at a high speed within formation, and then collided in flight. The collision was caused by differing pilots’ interpretations of the stages of flight.

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October 14, Minister of National Defence Rasa Juknevičienė met with HE Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Joon Jae Lee. The meeting officials shared their views on the both countries’ history, development of diplomatic relations and economic cooperation between the countries.

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From October 8 to 14 strategic level students of the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) are visiting Georgia which is one of their two study visit while on the Higher Command Studies Course. The course involves civilian and military officers (the latter normally in the rank of lieutenant colonel) who hold commanding positions in defence systems of a range of countries including Lithuania.

“Baltic Defence College is growing into a recognised military education institution receiving listeners not only from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia but also from such countries as the United Kingdom; expeditionary tours like this are a great opportunity to enrich the study programme and ensure a high quality of the studies,” commented Course Director Col Andrej Boičišin (Lithuanian Armed Forces).

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