On August 22 decorations were bestowed on Lithuanian troops redeployed after the mission in Afghanistan, the ceremony took place at the Joint Headquarters of the Lithuanian armed Forces. Chief of the Joint Headquarters Col Vilmantas Tamošaitis presented badges of the medal for Deployment on International Missions for members of the Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) indicating that it has been a repeated deployment on the mission, and three TACP troops were honoured with the Divisions of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Medal for Distinguished Service.
The IInd Tactical Air Control Party of the General Romualdas Giedraitis Artillery Battalion performed its key function of providing coordination for air-ground attacks of combat aircraft throughout the half-year duty period in the south of Afghanistan, province of Helmand, in composition of the Danish Contingent.
Currently around 250 Lithuanian troops serve in Afghanistan. Military personnel of the National Support Element and the Lithuanian Special Mission in Afghanistan are based Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. A part of Lithuania's troops contributed to the International Security Assistance Force's (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan are deployed in western Afghanistan, ISAF Regional Command-West (RC-W) in Herat. Chaghcharan-based Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) of Ghowr implements its activities, Police Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (POMLT) provides assistance in training officers of the Afghan National Police, and Military Advisory Team trains military forces of Afghanistan deployed in Ghowr. In the south of Afghanistan, province of Kandahar, Lithuanian Special Operations troops fulfil Lithuania's commitments to common security and the Air Mentoring Team provides training for helicopter pilots and maintenance personnel of the Afghan National Army.
PAO of the Joint Headquarters Capt Marius Varna
