On Thursday, 13th September , the inauguration ceremony and the welcome for the newly arrived Belgian and Luxembourg soldiers of the 4th rotation NATO eFP Battlegroup Lithuania took place in the barracks of the Training Regiment of the Lithuanian Armed Forces in Rukla.
Belgium is reinforcing the NATO eFP mission in Lithuania with a Mechanized Infantry Company of 250 men, formed by the Belgian 1st/3rd Battalion of Lancers, stationed in Marche-en-Famenne between Namur and Bastogne. With this contingent, Belgium again commits to this mission and to Lithuania. Back in 2017, the Belgium Army fournished the main body for the logistic transport support for enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup. A Luxembourg reconnaissance Platoon reinforces the Belgian Mechanized Infantry Company during the second half of 2018. The contribution of the Luxembourg Army consists of some 25 soldiers from the garrison in Diekirch.
The whole Battlegroup lined up on the parade ground of the garrison in Rukla with some of their vehicles to welcome their new comrades in arms. As guests of honour, the Ambassador of Luxemburg to Lithuania, H.E. Mr. Conrad Bruch, the Honarary Consul of Luxembourg, Mr. Ramunas Garbaravicius and for the Lithuanian Iron Wolf Brigade the Chief of Staff, LtCol Aurelijus Motiejunas attended the event.
In his speech, the Commander of eFP Battlegroup Lituhuania, LtCol René Braun, expressed his satisfaction that the 4th Rotation of the eFP Battlegroup is now finaly complete, and stressed the fact that with now seven contributing nations NATO sends a strong signal of commitment to the security and safety of the Baltic NATO partners and Lithuania in particular. He put the very reasoning of eFP in a wider historical context: "In 2014 in Wales and in 2016 in Warsaw Lithuania asked for support - since January 2017 the international Battlegroup of NATO is deployed in Rukla as an enhanced Forward Presence in rotating cycles. I like to compare this to the French, British and American commitments to West Berlin from 1945 to 1989. In these 44 years NATO-forces might have been inferior and not ready to face an attack of conventional forces. but through disciplined conduct, credible will to defend and unbroken passion for the fight for freedom they were also responsible that West Berlin was never attacked by regular forces."
The Senior National Representativs of Belgium and Luxembourg to the Battlegroup, Maj Cedrik Bougeois and Lt. Gilles David, led their contingents onto the parade ground and handed over the flags of their countries to the commander. This act symbolised the official assignment of the Belgian / Luxembourg contribution to the Battlegroup. In his address, LtCol Garbaravicius welcomed the new partners in the name of the Iron Wulf Brigade and thanked for their commitment to the common effort to strenghen the defence of Lithuania and the eastern NATO flank.
After the official event, a static display of tactical vehicles took place, followed by the Battlegroup Day with some sportive events, where multinational teams were competing in several disciplines like pulling an Infantry Fighting Vehicle, a bow contest or a relay race.
Text and pictures provided by NATO eFP BGLTU
