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German Brigade troops and equipment deploy via land, air and sea to Lithuania for exercise

German Brigade troops and equipment deploy via land, air and sea to Lithuania for exercise

Approx. 600 troops of the German enhanced Vigilance 41st Mechanized Infantry Brigade deployed to Lithuania with approx. 240 pieces of military equipment to take part in Exercise Griffin Lightning with the Lithuanian Grand Duke Birutė Uhlan Battalion from February 28 . Part of them arrived via Poland by roads with Military Police escort, some – through the Klaipėda Seaport and then – by roads to the General Silvestas Žukauskas Training Area (Švenčionys region) where the training will run until March 10.

The German military personnel were on a continuous combat readiness cycle and preparation for joint tasks with Lithuanian colleagues back in Germany prior to the exercise. Exercise Griffin Lightning trains planning joint operations, execution of combat FTX and live-fire tasks.

The Forward Command Element (FCE) of the 41st Mechanised Infantry (Panzergrenadier) Brigade has been permanently deployed in Lithuania since 4 September 2022. The firs international exercise with the Lithuanian Armed Forces, Fast Griffin, took place in early October to certify the readiness of German and Lithuanian troops to carry out defensive operations together. FCE staff also trained at the national armed forces headquarters and command element procedure certification exercise, Thunder Storm 2022, as an integral part of the Lithuanian Land Force Headquarters. The German Brigade pre-assigned to Lithuania and the Lithuanian Land Force are planning and conducting combat readiness training in Lithuania and in Germany, take part in field training, force redeployment nad live fire exercises.

Photos: courtesy of the NATO eFP BG