From July 11 to 14 military personnel of the Water Purification Unit (WPU) and of the Medium Truck Platoon (MTP) of the Lithuanian Great Duke Vytenis General Support Battalion assigned for standby in the NATO Response Force in 2012, underwent pre-deployment training at the Kazlų Rūda Training Area of the Division General Stasys Raštikis NCO School.
Commission of the Logistics Command Headquarters evaluated readiness and combat preparation of the unit's personnel, condition of equipment and materiel and logistics.
Active phase began by reading out the Higher Staff's (i.e. Logistic Command's) order to both trained units tasked with operational provision. Water Purification Unit was deployed in a destination location and Medium Truck Platoon used its assets for load transportation. During the exercise the units were responding to changing situation and trained to make timely and expedient decisions.
Water Purification Unit and the Medium Truck Platoon of the Lithuanian Great Duke Vytenis General Support Battalion will enter one year standby in NRF in January 2012. In the first half-year of 2011 WPU conducted duty in the EU Battle Group (EU BG) with personnel from Austria, the Netherlands, Finland and Germany.
In case of NATO Command's decision to activate NRF, Lithuanian WPU would be responsible for supplying drinkable water for units on the ground while MTP would be in charge for transportation of loads.
Both units will be deployed at home in Marijampolė maintaining readiness to deploy at a short notice in the event of activation to wherever NATO forces would be sent.
WPU will be equipped with two equipment systems throughout the duty period. WTC-1600 GT was tested in practice in 2005 when WPU was activated on standby in NRF to render assistance for earthquake-hit Pakistan. In 2010 a new mobile, easily repaired and operated water purification system ROWPU 1500 was bought. MTP will use SISU trucks routinely used for transportation of up to 650t of loads on an annual basis.
Till present duty in NRF used to be performed on a six months basis; however, after the NATO reform and introduction of the new NRF concept the period was prolonged to one year as of 2011.
NRF is high readiness technologically advanced multinational NATO force constituted by national units assigned by member-states that maintain readiness for a set standby period in their home countries to redeploy to operation regions within a set time in case a decision the activate NRF was made. In the event of such decision NRF is able to deploy to the operation region within 5 days. NRF includes land, air, naval and special forces components.
In 2011 Lithuania assigned Airfield Terminal Maintenance Unit formed of the Lithuanian Air Force's personnel and Lithuanian Naval Force's mine search and rescue M52 "Sūduvis" and the newly bought "Hunt" class M53 "Skalvis" vessels, and Force Protection Company formed of approximately 100 troops of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas Mechanised Infantry Battalion.
Information and pictures of Vytenis Battalion
