Lithuanian military undergo active preparations for the upcoming largest NATO's exercise this year - NATO Response Force Exercise STEADFAST JAZZ 2013 to take place on November 2 through 9. 2nd Infantry Company of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas Mechanised Infantry Battalion made up of 140 members conduct training at a military site in Rukla prior to a field exercise soon to take place at Drawsko Military Ground, Poland, where they will train as part of a multinational unit.
The last month of training for the 2nd Infantry Company of Algirdas Battalion kicked off with a live-fire exercise which focused on section/platoon level defence. Platoons of the 2nd Infantry Company were training individually till present.
The first week of preparation trained section-level, the second - platoon-level skills of the company members. This exercise honed platoons' skills to deliver defence actions with live-fire elements in a tactical situation. Section and platoon commanders were implementing subdivision control procedures: conducted command reconnaissance, surveyed positions, drew schemes of engagement, prepared and gave combat orders. Company personnel also drilled direct fire control procedures. Nearly all the available weaponry, medium and heavy machine-guns, and mortar support were used for training.
According to commander of the 2nd Infantry Company 1st Lt Egidijus Čiulada, the training in Lithuania was not only an excellent opportunity to better prepare for the exercise in Poland but also to undergo a self-test, i.e. to find out whether we were able to break an attack of hostile forces. "We can boast of having both our sections and platoons complete the task and achieve their goals. There was also a positive aspect for the troops could get the sense of the harm a defending section of platoon can inflict onto adversary, so now they will be able to assess a situation more accurately," said the 2nd Company Commander about preparations for the multinational exercise.
The total of approx. 300 Lithuanian soldiers that STEADFAST JAZZ 2013 will involve are going to be deployed across multiple exercise locations in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Norway. A Lithuanian company made up of 140 members will take part in a field exercise soon to take place at Drawsko Military Ground of the Polish Armed Forces as part of a multinational unit. Lithuanian troops attached to Joint and Tactical Air Control Parties will also be deployed to this training range. Lithuania will contribute 10 military and civilian headquarters personnel to the command post of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum and Exercise Control Element deployed at Adazi Training Area for the portion of the exercise in Latvia. Two more Lithuanian staff officers will be delegated to NATO's Joint Warfare Centre in Norway. Furthermore, Lithuanian military will be rendering HNS at Pabradė Training Area of the Lithuanian Armed Forces to an Italian-led NRF Special Operations Forces HQ.
STEADFAST JAZZ 2013 will also train and certify readiness of the NATO Response Force to respond to any type of threat in any part of the world, or engage in combat actions. Readiness of the Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum personnel to provide command and control of NATO operations in 2014 will also be put to a test at STEADFAST JAZZ 2013.
For the Media: Media representatives will be given an opportunity to attend Media and Visitors Days of Exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013 and Exercise Baltic Host at General Adolfas Ramanauskas Warfare Training Centre (Nemenčinė, Lithuania) on November 5; the main formal Visitors Days at Adazi Training Area, Latvia, on November 6 and in Poland on November 7. Those willing to attend need to obtain NATO accreditation at: http://aco.nato.int/for-journalists.aspx
Website for Exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013: http://aco.nato.int/steadfast-jazz.aspx
POC: PAO for the Joint Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces 1st Lt Žilvinas Zakarauskas, phone no. 00370 5 211 3902, 00370 698 02 290.
