On April 18 soldiers of the 3rd Mechanised Infantry Company of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas Mechanised Infantry Battalion left for the United Kingdom to train in a two-week exercise of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) Joint Warrior 18.1. Lithuanians will train in the exercise in a training area in Salisbury Plain together with soldiers from other JEF-contributing countries: Denmark, Estonia, UK, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, and Sweden.
Roughly 160 soldiers of Algirdas Battalion will train in assigned units using military equipment brought from their base in Rukla.
"Multinational exercise Joint Warrior 18.1 in the United Kingdom is another test of experience and skills of Algirdas Battalion personnel that includes not only actions in an area but also planning of different scopes to ensure sufficient readiness, redeployment, and sustainment. It is also a great opportunity to share experience with allies and partners we are bound with by the same goals," Commander of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas Mechanised Infantry Battalion Lieutenant Colonel Aurelijus Alasauskas said.
The Commander emphasised that participation in the JEF exercise gave Algirdas' soldiers an excellent opportunity to train not only in the homebase but also in an environment which is international and unfamiliar to the personnel. "In such conditions we can put to test good old tactics and to look for new, non-standard resorts to increase our battle field efficiency," Lt Col A. Alasauskas said.
Exercise Joint Warrior 18.1 will involve land, air, and maritime components. Lithuanian soldiers will train as part of the Danish Contingent. Soldiers of the 3rd Mechanised Infantry Company of Algirdas Battalion have cooperated with Danish soldiers - last year they were on standby for the NATO Very High Readiness joint Task Force in composition of the Danish Battle Group, and they are on standby together for the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force as of the beginning of the year.
The Memorandum of understanding on establishment of the JEF was signed on 30 November 2015 in London in London by all the participating countries' defence ministers (of Denmark, Estonia, UK, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Norway). The JEF was joined by Finland and Sweden in the summer of 2017. Up to 10,000 soldiers can be mobilised, including from Lithuania, to the JEF, force to counter the unforecastable challenges of today.
The JEF is an integrated, shifting in size, easily adjustable and highly ready pool of force elements capable of ensuring a proper response in case of a crisis demanding a military take. Capabilities pooled for a specific crisis will allow to have a flexible force with capabilities needed or a wide spectrum of operations: from humanitarian assistance to conventional deterrence, and combat operations worldwide.
The force can be activated within a short notice, as soon as the contributing countries take a decision to.
The concept of the JEF is different from that of multinational organisations, however, it will comply with NATO standards and procedures and will be available for supplementing other multinational high readiness intervention forces and to support actions by NATO, the EU, and the UN.
The core of the JEF will be provided by the UK, while participating nations will add corresponding national capabilities. In 2018 Lithuania contributes a company-sized unit and a national support element. Also, one Lithuanian officer has been serving at the operational headquarters of the JEF at Northwood, UK, since 2016.
When serving with the JEF, Lithuanian soldiers will have one more opportunity to train in a multinational environment alongside allies already experienced in multinational deployments and training, share experience and skills with them, seek better interoperability and operational readiness. It is also a one more military rapid response tool to respond quickly to emerging threats. Lithuania's participation in the establishment of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force strengthens Lithuania's cooperation with other contributing nations, particularly the UK, the cooperation with which has significantly intensified in security and defence areas in the recent years.
POC: specialist for CIMIC of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas Mechanised Infantry Battalion Corporal Arnas Čemerka, +37064331365.
Photo credits: Algirdas Battalion
Video report from Exercise Brave Lion in Denmark, November 2017, preparation for standby of Lithuanian and Danish troops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9xB6fhe2T0
