On December 6 Vice Minister of National Defence Edvinas Kerza, Chief of the Defence Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Maj Gen Vitalijus Vaikšnoras and Defence Policy Director of the Ministry of National Defence Robertas Šapronas took part in the DV Day of Exercise Anakonda-18 in Poland.
Over 30 Lithuanian troops are training in the exercise: soldiers of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Defence Staff and the Department of Law and the Mechanised Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf trained command and control procedures in composition of the Headquarters Multinational Division North East. The exercise also included soldiers of the Lithuanian Special Operations Forces.
The objective of Exercise Anakonda-18 was to certify the Headquarters Multinational Division North East. The Division finished preparations for full operational capability with the third phase of the Exercise, as a deliverable of the NATO Summit in Warsaw in 2016.
Anakonda-18 trained integration of national security and defence capabilities in joint, interinstitutional, multinational and public environment in order to be ready to respond to modern and future threats. Exercise actions were planned and coordinated across air and land domains of the eastern NATO flank.
Exercise Anakonda has been held every two years in Poland since 2006. This year it took place in three phases and involved over 17,500 soldiers from 10 countries, NATO commands, and NATO military units. Two thirds of the training audience were deployed and trained in the territory of Poland, the remaining third joined the training in the Baltic states' territories and the Baltic Sea. The third and the last phase of the Exercise certified the Headquarters Multinational Division North East as ready.
Exercise website: www.anakonda.do.wp.mil.pl.
Lithuanian-Polish defence cooperation
Defence cooperation with Poland is crucial for the security of both, Lithuania and the region. Lithuania has been intensely developing relations with Poland in military area since 1993.
Poland is one of the most active contributors to the NATO Air Policing Mission. Since 2005, already seven Polish rotations have been deployed to the Lithuanian Air Force Base in Šiauliai.
Lithuania and Poland cooperate successfully in NATO defence planning regarding Article 5 capabilities, also, NATO exercises in the region.
Lithuanian and Polish militaries are constantly developing cooperation at various levels of staffs, military education institutions and military units. Cooperation is intense between the Mechanised Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf of Lithuania and Poland's 15th Giżycka Brigade, Lithuanian and Polish soldiers are training in multinational exercises together.
Lithuania and Poland have been developing a joint military project with Ukraine, trilateral brigade, LITPOLUKRBRIG, since 2014.
Lithuania has been taking part in the activities of the NATO Multinational Corps Northeast based in Poland since 2003. It is the closest NATO military HQ to Lithuania (based in Szczecin), it was deployed to Afghanistan twice.
PAO for the Defence Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Maj Tomas Balkus, +370 5 219 6401, +370 686 28035, tomas.balkus@mil.lt
Photo credit: Sgt Spc Ieva Budzeikaitė
