On June 25 new Inspector General of the Bundeswehr General Eberhard Zorn is conducting a visit in Lithuania. He succeeded General Volker Wieker in April. During the visit the guest met with Chief of the Defence Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Maj Gen Vitalijus Vaikšnoras - Generals discussed regional security, status of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group in Lithuania and other topics related to the NATO eFP in Lithuania, Lithuanian and German bilateral military cooperation, NATO defence planning.
Later Gen E. Zorn visited the Lithuanian Great Hetman Jonušas Radvila Training Regiment in Rukla and met with Commander of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group in Lithuania Lt Col Wolf Rüdiger Otto, acting Commander of the Mechanised Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf Lt Col Aurelijus Motiejūnas, viewed weaponry and equipment of the Battalion, and met with German soldiers serving with the NATO eFP at the Battalion.
The German-led NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group was deployed in early 2017 in Lithuania seeking to strengthen deterrence and collective defence in region. Currently roughly 1,400 soldiers from Belgium, Croatia, Norway, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Iceland are serving in it. Roughly half of the unit's strength and it command are deployed by Germany. The NATO eFP Battalion Battle Group is integrated into the Mechanised Infantry Brigade of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and exercise together with the Brigade's soldiers in its military training programme.
Germany has made a historically important contribution to the development of trilateral Baltic projects (Baltic Peacekeeping Battalion - BALTBAT, Baltic Naval Squadron - BALTRON, Baltic Airspace Surveillance Network - BALTNET, Baltic Defence College - BALTDEFCOL). Advisers from the Federal Ministry of Defence helped reorganise structures of the Lithuanian Armed Forces according to NATO standards, logistical system used by NATO militaries was being developed to match Lithuania's conditions. The Army Officers' Academy (OSH) in Dresden made a significant input into production of syllabus for the Captains Course at the Military Academy of Lithuania. Over 300 Lithuanian soldiers graduated from various Bundeswehr training institutions since 1994. Various military equipment was obtained from Germany's surplus stocks, also Lithuania implemented one of its most significant weaponry procurements from the German Armed Forces - acquisition of 155 mm self-propelled howitzers projects. In August 2016 Ministry of National Defence of Lithuania and the Bundeswehr signed a contract on procurement of 88 Boxer armoured personnel carriers which is the largest acquisition in the history of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
POC: Capt Tomas Pakalniškis, +370 65761271, tomas.pakalniskis@mil.lt
Photo credit: Sgt Spc Ieva Budzeikaitė
