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.
Warfare Training Centre of the Pennsylvania National Guard, courses, and possibilities of cooperation between the Centre and Lithuania's military training institutions were introduced to Lt Gen A. Pocius. Lithuanian Chief of Defence also visited the armoured brigade where structure, tasks, transformation and experience in a range of multinational operations of the unit was presented to him.
Lt Gen Arvydas Pocius took interest in the possibility for forward combat and lessons learned by the US partners in that area.
In a ceremony held on Friday at the prestigious US Army War College Lt Gen A.Pocius will be announced a member of the Hall of Fame of the International Studies Programme. The title is awarded to the graduates of the studies who hold the highest position of command in their national armed forces. During the ceremony Lt Gen A. Pocius will deliver an address to the academic community of the College, students and professors.
Lt Gen A. Pocius spent a year of studies in the USA from 2003 to 2004 according to the strategic study programme tailored to strategic level commanding officers' needs. He was the first officer of the Lithuanian Armed Forces to graduate from the course.
In 1978 the same studies programme at US Army War College was attended by former Chief of Defence of Lithuania Major General (retired) Jonas Kronkaitis who held the rank of a colonel in the US army at that time.
The visit of the Chief of Defence of Lithuania was arranged on invitation of the leadership of the US Army War College. Lt Gen. A. Pocius is expected to return to Lithuania on October 23.
Spokesperson to the Chief of Defence Capt Skomantas Povilionis, cell phone 00370 682 25 359
Picture by A. Pliadis.
