From October 17 to 19 delegation of the Chief of Staff (COS) Allied Force Command Heidelberg (FCHD) Maj Gen Hubert de Vos took interest in the preparation process before the NATO command post exercise (CPX) Steadfast Juncture 2011 to be held at the Pabradės Trainng Area in November.
The delegation met with Col Vilmantas Tamošaitis, Chief of the Joint Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, toured the Gen Adolfas Ramanauskas Warfare Training Centre in Nemenčinė, and visited the Pabradės Training Area where exercise command has already been installed.
"All the potential problems so the aim of my visit in Lithuania is to make sure that we will be ready to solve any contingencies during the exercise," told Maj Gen H. De Vos to Lithuanian Chief of Defence. Col V. Tamošaitis ensured the guests that since the planning stage Lithuanian Armed Forces collaborate with NATO partners to as much effect as possible and to render all the necessary support to NATO forces to be deployed in Lithuania and that way ensure fluent course of the exercise.
In the meeting with Lithuania's representatives the delegation discussed the run-up for visitors and media days during the exercise. "As it is a routine NATO exercise, we will try to demonstrate for media representatives the process of Response Force certification in the Alliance," said Chief of Staff of the NATO Command Maj Gen H. de Vos and stressed that Lithuania is an equal Alliance's partner therefore that kind of exercise is hosted not only by long-term NATO members.
In the Pabradės Training Area General's delegation viewed the deployable NATO command post CP-156 delivered to Lithuania from Italy by train and installed by military personnel of Lithuanian and partner states. In the exercise the command post will operate as Forward Joint Headquarters during the certification of the NATO Response Force and engage Maj Gen H. De Vos and other high-ranking NATO officers.
Maj Gen H. de Vos summarised the three-day visit by praising excellent preparation for the exercise and interoperability of all the troops involved.
NATO exercise Steadfast Juncture 2011 will take place from October 31 to November 12 in several NATO countries simultaneously and command and control will be delivered via NATO communication and information channels.
In Lithuania the exercise will be located in the Pabradės Training Area and the Gen Adolfas Ramanauskas Warfare Training Centre in Nemenčinė.
Steadfast Juncture 2011 is a NATO command post exercise aimed at certifying NATO Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFC) Headquarters and Allied Force Command (FC) Headquarters Heidelberg Deployable Joint Staff Element (DJSE 2) to command and control a multinational deployed force for NATO Response Force (NRF) 2012 standby period.
The exercise which is held in November involves representatives of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and NATO commands in Greece, Italy, Germany, Spain, Norway and the Czech Republic.
Several hundreds of NATO servicemembers are deployed in Lithuania for the period of the exercise.
The Exercise Steadfast Juncture 2011 is organised by the Allied Joint Force Command (JFC) based in Brunssum (the Netherlands).
