The Lithuanian Armed Forces will run intense training throughout May. Approx. 8 thousand Lithuanian and Allied troops with over a thousand tactical vehicles, several dozen of aircraft, ships and other military equipment will train across different levels, from command post training to field training exercises with personnel on the ground. Part of the training period will be visible to local residents.
“An abundant Lithuanian and Allied force across land, air and sea domains will train in Lithuania in May. It is one of the major joint training cycles in our country whose scale not just demonstrate the readiness of our Allies and us to act together but also sends a clear message about our unity and determination to defence every inch of NATO territory,” said Chief of Defence of Lithuania Gen Raimundas Vaikšnoras overviewing the training cycle.
A major portion of the exercises on the land territory of the Republic of Lithuania will come under the umbrella of Exercise Griffin Lightning 2025 organized by the Multinational Corps Northeast. Incorporating multinational exercises Iron Wolf 2025-I, Swift Response 2025, Strong Shield 5 and national exercise Thunder Fortress 2025, it will hone implementation of NATO plans of the eastern flank of NATO.
The main drill of the Lithuanian Armed Forces in the nearest month, Thunder Fortress 2025, will come on May 13–27. The Defence Staff will rehearse the necessary procedures to issue an operational order based on real-life plan of armed defence of the state to the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Thunder Fortress will culminate in the autumn in Exercise Thunder Strike which will be a tactical maneuver based on the training done this May implementing the armed defence of the state concept in different locations across Lithuania.
Besides this operational-level command post exercise of the Defence Staff and Armed Forces, there will be a series of tactical training events in the training areas, air and sea of Lithuania with military personnel and military equipment.
The Field Training Exercise Iron Wolf 2025-I on May 5-16 will involve approx. 3700 troops and 700 military vehicles of the Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf and the NATO Multinational Battlegroup integrated in it and based in Rukla. The exercise will train planning and execution of defensive and offensive operations.
Exercise Iron Wolf 2025-I will culminate in an airborne assault operation executed by the U.S. 173rd Air Assault Brigade and then transition to Exercise Swift Response 2025. Running on May 16–22, it will see airlift of 1700 U.S. troops from France and Italy in rehearsal of reinforcing Allied capabilities on the eastern flank of NATO.
On May 12–18 the National Defence Volunteer Force’s Exercise Strong Shield 5 will take place with over 1000 troops from Lithuania, Latvia and Portugal. It will build skills to plan, stage and execute defensive operations in support of the national defence plans, effective cooperation and coordination with supporting units or units in the same area of responsibility.
Approx. 30 helicopters of the German Air Force will be deployed to Lithuania for nearly the entire May, these will include the TIGER attack, NH90 transport, CH-53 heavy-lift and the EC135 light utility helicopters. Part of the training flights will be trained in a particularly low altitude the entire training will encompass most the territory of Lithuania and border areas, and will take place round the clock.
Joining the intense springtime training period, the Harbor Protection and Coastal Defense Service, with Allies from Portugal, force structures of Klapi4da and other city organisations will run military Exercise Storm Defence 2025 on May 5–16 in the municipalities and regions of Klaipėda and Neringa. It will train maintaining port functions in crisis, emergency and facing potential threats.
The annual multinational historical ordnance (WWI and WWII) disposal operation Open Spirit / EODEX 2025 will take place on May 9 – 23. Over its span, 13 ships and EOD divers from 14 Allies will call in in Klaipėda to hunt for and neutralize mines.
The Air Defence Battalion of the Lithuanian Air Force will train live fire at airborne targets in Exercise Amber Arrow 2025 on May 19-23 in the Curonian Spit. Fire with live ammunition will be delivered using the RBS-70 short-range air defence systems.
The springtime training cycle will close out with the Exercise Stork and Eagle of the Rocket Artillery Battery of the Lithuanian Land Force and the U.S. Army held for the first in Lithuania on May 19–24 to build the Lithuanian troops’ skills to effectively use HIMARS separately and in cooperation with other units. In early June live fire at targets in the Baltic Sea with the systems will be trained.
Local residents may see military columns on the roads and military aircraft in the air more frequently in May. All the training is a scheduled training period which is coordinated and synchronized with NATO Commands. A major part of the exercises which will take place in Lithuania will be a part of larger Allied exercises/deterrence operations, also, lower level training will be held across different Lithuanian Armed Forces units. The May training period will involve approx. 8000 military personnel from Lithuania and other NATO Allies.
Related image, credit: Lithuanian Armed Forces
