2012 contingents of the Lithuanian Armed Forces will continue standby in the NATO Response Force

Standby of the Lithuanian Armed Forces in the NATO Response Force (NRF) end on December 31. This year the Lithuanian Armed Forces have deployed a range of military contingents formed of land, air, naval and logistic components – over 200 troops in total. Next year Lithuanian military will conduct service with NRF as well.

This year the Lithuanian Armed Forces have deployed a range of military contingents formed of land, air, naval and logistic components – over 200 troops in total. Next year Lithuanian military will conduct service with NRF as well.

The largest unit that has nearly reached the end of its duty in NRF is the Force Protection Company formed by the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas Mechanised Infantry Battalion. Personnel of the unit verified their readiness for standby as a Force Protection Company during the Steadfast Juncture 2011 exercise which took place in November 2011 in the Pabradės Training Area to certify the Deployable Joint Staff Element (DJSE) NRF 2012.

Another Lithuanian unit that maintained standby for NRF this year was Air Terminal Maintenance Unit formed by troops of the Lithuanian Air Forces trained for loading and discharge, transportation, passenger record and escort, medical assistance, and other tasks.

Water Purification Unit (WPU) formed by the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ logistics specialists maintained standby for deployment in any region and ensuring water purification services. Water purification specialists of the Lithuanian Armed Forces assigned for duty in NRF in 2005 contributed to the humanitarian operation in Pakistan by providing clear water for local people hit by a major earthquake.

This year Mine countermeasures vessel “Sūduvis” and crew of the Lithuanian Navy also conducted duty in NRF.

Throughout the following year Lithuanian Special Operations Unit, Movement Control and Average Truck as well as Water Purification Units formed from logistic units will be on standby in NRF. In case of activation, transport aircraft of C27J Spartan of the Lithuanian Air Force will be ready to join NRF operations. Lithuania has assigned 160 military servicemembers for duty in NRF the following year.

Lithuania’s largest contribution to NRF so far has been the trilateral Baltic Battalion formed ad hoc in 2010 where the major part was formed by Lithuanian troops, including commander of the Battalion (600 from the total of 800 were Lithuanians).

Lithuania has been assigning troops for standby in NRF since 2005.

NATO Response Force is high readiness technologically advanced multinational NATO capability. NRF is manned by units committed by member states maintaining high readiness level in their home states for a set period of time to be capable to redeploy to operation region within an established period if a decision to invoke the force was made. Until 2010 standby period in NRF was six-month long, it was extended to one year after the NATO Reform and alternation of NRF concept in 2011. NRF includes land, air, naval and special forces components.

The decision to form NATO Response Force was announced by NATO members in Prague Summit in 2002. NRF is activated at the decision of the North Atlantic Council. For the first time NRF was activated to deliver disaster relief efforts in October 2005 to help earthquake-devastated Pakistan.

Source: 29 December 2011 - Ministry of National Defence Republic of Lithuania News (www.kam.lt)

Photo: The Lithuania Air Force C27J Spartan (Photo by © Ministry of National Defence Republic of Lithuania. / Alvydas Tamošiūnas)

(29.12.2011)