On December 21 a team of Lithuanian Armed Forces Military Police soldiers were deployed to the multinational NATO mission in Afghanistan, Resolute Support. The group of six will perform military police tasks at the operational headquarters in Kabul together with colleagues from Austria and the US.
During the ceremony at St. Ignatius Church Defence Policy Director of the Ministry of National Defence Dr Vaidotas Urbelis presented the deployed soldiers with amber keepsakes to remind them of homeland while on the mission. The soldiers also were given a national flag to hoist in the region of the mission.
The deployment ceremony was also attended by Commander of Vilnius Unit of the State Border Guard Service Colonel Virgilijus Raugalė, other representatives of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and the Ministry of National Defence, and relatives of the deployed troops.
Members of the Lithuanian military police will ensure order of personnel, prevent criminal activities and other infringements, and will take action to eliminate causes and conditions of such activities, together with military police personnel deployed to multinational Operation Resolute Support by Austria and the US.
Prior to deployment the troops underwent 5 months of training: attended different courses, trained at the Lithuanian Police School, acquired skills to act in nonstandard situations during combat training exercises, and trained at the Lithuanian Police Forensic Science Centre. Some of the team members also gained experience in the Kingdom of Denmark where they were able to familiarise with the specifics of an international military police mission.
Resolute Support Mission was launched in Afghanistan in 2015. It is a non-combat mission aimed at training local security forces personnel. The key aim of the mission is to train, advise and assist national security forces, ministries and other governmental authorities of Afghanistan in order to ensure security of the country.
Lithuania's military police personnel deployed to the mission rotate every six months. This is the second team sent by the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The first one was serving in Afghanistan from May 2016.
Currently, 21 more Lithuanian soldiers are serving in operational headquarters of the Resolute Support Mission in Kabul and Herat.
POC: Capt Pavelas Lukjanovas, 00370 61127539
Credits: Giedrė Maksimovicz,MoD
