During King’s Strike 2025, a certification exercise of King Mindaugas Hussar Battalion of the Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf, running on July 14 through 25, the training audience were rehearsing combined movement of forces which put the refurbished railway segment leading to Pajuostis Airfield on maiden test. The training enhanced force movement capacity and to test the ability of the Lithuanian railway infrastructure to support wartime tasks.
Units of the Battalion were moved from the home base in to the General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Area in Pabradė to continue training defensive operations by three types of transport: railway, air transport and roads. Even though the Hussar Battalion has never run a training of such type before, it was able to successfully assess in practise the ability to maneuver quickly and effectively within the country borders using national communication infrastructure.
The recently refurbished Pajuostis Airfield segment of railway was practically tested for the first time in military equipment transportation and has become an important logistical passage. The segment was built as part of the strategic military mobility project designed to simply the movement of national and Allied forces and take the burden off the road network.
The exercise has demonstrated that integration of different transportation types ensures quick and secure moving of military cargo, while the efficiency of the Lithuanian transportation infrastructure ensures the required speed of the maneuver.
Combined deployment is one of the key elements of defence planning which ensures the capacity to strengthen the required area of operations on time. The training event has showcased the availability of Lithuanian rail, air and road transportation to the Lithuanian Armed Forces for implementation of national defence plans and collective defence tasks.
Exercise King’s Strike 2025 is an integral part of the combat readiness cycle of the Lithuanian Armed Forces certifying the ability of the Battalion’s combat units to execute defensive operations and ensure quick response to threats.
Photo credits: Sgt Spc Karolis Kavolėlis
