On December 10 Minister of National Defence Juozas Olekas and Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lieutenant General Arvydas Pocius attended a formal homecoming ceremony at the Vytautas the Great War Museum in Kaunas and presented Medals for Deployment on International Missions to the 19 Lithuanian troops that had returned from the European Union-led efforts against piracy and armed robbery at sea Operation ATALANTA off the Somali coast. The Lithuanian troops forming the Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment (AVPD) had been protecting a World Food Programme (WFP) chartered vessel delivering humanitarian assistance to Somalia from pirate attacks for 4 months.
"Thank you for completing this mission honourably because that is what Lithuania needs, the entire international community needs. You have not only helped delivering humanitarian aid to the ones most in need by protecting this vessel but have also contributed to the EU's efforts of creating a safer environment, and ensuring safe navigation in the region of Africa," Minister of National Defence J.Olekas said. He also thanked the troops' families for their patience when waiting for their family members to come back from the mission.
During the tour of duty of the Lithuanian AVPD the WFP vessel delivered more than 24 thousand tonnes of humanitarian assistance to people in Somalia. Under Lithuanian protection the ship was able to sail in the high-risk zone (the Somali Basin, the eastern part of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden) and wharf safely in Somali seaports.
Chief of Defence Lt Gen A. Pocius underlined the acquired experience at the homecoming ceremony. "The Lithuanian Armed Forces have never deployed to an operation of such kind before, so your experience will be a support in future personnel training," the Chief of Defence of Lithuania stated when thanking the troops for the excellent service.
The AVPD was the first-ever combat unit that Lithuania had deployed in the region of Africa. It has earned high evaluations from the leadership of Operation ATALANTA.
A corresponding Serbian unit took over the protection of the WFP vessel Caroline Scan and the flag of the EU Operation ATALANTA on December 1.
19 Lithuanian troops served in the region of the EU-led Operation ATALANTA from this August. 16 infantry service members of the Lithuanian Armed Forces formed the Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment (AVPD) to protect a World Food Programme (WFP) chartered vessel delivering humanitarian assistance to Somalia from pirate attacks. Two Lithuanian troops were deployed to Djibouti to ensure logistic provision for the Lithuanian personnel taking part in the operation. One Lithuanian officer was posted to the Dutch Operation ATALANTA flagship.
"This mission has been a challenge from the very start because we as land personnel joined the operation in unusual conditions, that is, afloat. I am very happy that we have completed all the tasks successfully and not only developed new skills but also gained new experience since this was the first multinational deployment for the majority in the group," said Captain Aivaras Pliatkus, head of the AVPD formed from the personnel of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas Mechanised Infantry Battalion.
One officer will continue representing Lithuania at the EU NAVFOR Operational Headquarters in Northwood, UK, after the completion of the AVPD mission.
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The largest European Union-led military operation EU NAVFOR - Operation ATALANTA was launched late in 2008 in response to the rising levels of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia. Warships deployed on EU NAVFOR escort WFP ships delivering aid to the Somali people, deter and apprehend pirates and armed robbers in the area of operation, complete monitoring of fishing activity, and conduct other tasks in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Currently, 23 EU and 3 non-EU member states are contributing the up to 2 thousand personnel of EU NAVFOR - Operation ATALANTA.
Lithuania joined ATALANTA in 2011 by commissioning a staff officer of the Lithuanian Navy to the Operation HQ Northwood, UK.
EU NAVFOR - Operation ATALANTA is not the only EU-led operation that Lithuania is contributing to. From this spring Lithuanian military instructors have been deployed to the EU training mission in Mali (EUTM Mali) to provide training for Malian military. The EUTM Mali objective is to enhance operational capabilities and activities of the Malian Armed Forces in order to incapacitate it to ensure territorial integrity of the country and to counter attacks of terrorist groups inside the country.
Lithuania's participation in the EU-led multinational operations contributes to international crisis management efforts and strengthens the Commons Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).
Photos by Ieva Budzeikaitė (MOD)
