The second phase of the multinational exercise Amber Hope 2011 (AH11) has started on June 19. During this phase, Amber Hope Exercise Staff and all of the training elements will conduct exercises in accordance with an established scenario based on experiences gained by Lithuanian and other international partners in multinational operations. The fictitious crisis response operations will be executed at both the Pabradės Training Area and the Baltic Sea. This second and final phase will conclude on June 23.
Participants of the exercise from 9 NATO and Partnership for Peace (PfP) countries will operate as an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and will include all components of the armed forces - land, air, navy and special operations forces. The Exercise Staff commands and coordinates all aspects of the operation through the Joint Exercise Management Module (JEMM), which contains pre-entered data on all of the fictitious events and incidents in the script.
The land component comprises two multinational battalions, an engineer platoon, and a nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) defence platoon. During this phase, troops from the land component will demonstrate their skills in a range of crisis response elements acquired during the first week of the Exercise (June 13-17). The training forces will not be informed in advance of any of the details for the simulated incidents and other events in the Exercise scenario and as such, the second AH11 phase will require quick reaction to emergency situations. Evaluation Teams will determine if participants are reacting in accordance with set procedures, and will draw conclusions for Exercise Command on completion of AH11.
The Air component will support participating units through integrated air operations. This component will conduct close air support (CAS) operations, imitate air raids and air support operations, air surveillance, medical evacuation and airlift of the injured, search and rescue operations (SAR) and tactical airlift. Air operations will involve two Mi-8 helicopters from the Lithuanian Air Force and two L-39 ZA light assault aircraft.
Five vessels of the Lithuanian Naval Force will also be engaged in the Exercise, as will two patrol and two mine countermeasures vessels, the SAR ship "Šakiai", and harbour cutter H-21. They will fall into two groups - the first will perform naval support and defence operations, and the second will conduct fictitious assaults and diversions. The Lithuanian Coastal and Sea Surveillance Service will conduct enforced naval surveillance from maritime check posts and record suspicious actions of the simulated hostile forces at sea.
According to the scenario, Exercise action is centered in the fictitious state of Amberland. Unrest escalates in Amberland, forcing the government to request assistance from the international community to ensure security in the country, and form and train its national security forces. Unrest in Amberland has been sparked by activities from the Sula regime, a patriotic-political movement acting as insurgent forces in the country. The insurgents seek to overtake the country's leadership to install their authoritarian, fundamentalist ideology-based rule.
Supporters of the Sula regime carry out violent attacks against governmental institutions, troops of foreign states, representatives of the United Nations and NGOs in an effort to destabilize Amberland's government. Sula has also allowed sea pirate groups to install training camps in Sula-controlled territory, aiming to take hostages and demand ransom from Amberland's government. The international community has denounced Sula's actions.
In response to escalating violence, the United Nations Security Council mandates an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to start a multinational crisis response operation to render support to Amberland's government, and for ensuring security in the country.
Multinational Exercise Amber Hope 2011 involves more than 2,000 military and civilians from 9 countries - Canada, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and U.S.A as NATO members, and two PfP partner countries - Finland and Georgia. Observers for the Exercise have been provided by Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Ukraine.
The goal of Exercise Amber Hope 2011 is to enhance cooperation among the military divisions of the Partnership for Peace and NATO countries while training to take part in joint crisis response operations, and strengthen military cooperation between NATO and partners of the Alliance. Amber Hope 2011 will also improve and evaluate readiness of the Lithuanian Armed Forces to deliver Host Nation Support to incoming forces.
Lithuanian Armed Forces have been organizing Exercise Amber Hope since 1995. The last Amber Hope series was held in Klaipėda in 2007. This year, the Exercise is organized and conducted by the Joint Headquarters of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
For more information about the Exercise:
http://kariuomene.kam.lt/en/ah11.html
www.facebook.com/GintarineViltis
The points of contact for Exercise Amber Hope 2011 are:
In the Pabradės Training Area - Capt Mindaugas Neimontas, Head of Media Operations Section, cell phone 00370 640 45 380, e-mail neimontas@gmail.com
In Klaipėda - Lt (N) Antanas Brencius, cell phone 00370 698 18196, e-mail antanas.brencius@mil.lt
Pictures by L. Ambroževičiūtė and A.Tamošiūnas.
