On February 17 General Hans-Lothar Domröse, Commander Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS), made a formal visit to Vilnius. High-ranking NATO official met with Chief of Defence of Lithuania Major General Jonas Vytautas Žukas, leadership of the Joint Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and heads of commands, and Defence policy Director of the Ministry of National Defence Dr. Vaidotas Urbelis.
General H. L. Domröse and Lithuanian national defence representatives discussed security situation in the region, establishment of NATO Force Integration Units (NFIU) in Lithuania and other Eastern European countries, NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), the rotating NATO air and land units deployed in Lithuania, the role of the Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE) in Szczecin (Poland) in the NATO command and control structure, and other topics of relevance.
"Today I have seen an excellent preparation for the establishment of the NATO Force Integration Unit in Lithuania. I believe the NFIU will be instituted in Lithuania this summer and it will reach full operational capacity as soon as this year. We are on the right way," NATO General said.
According to General H. L. Domröse, the final decisions in detail are for the NATO Defence Ministers to endorse in June but all the preparatory work has already been done on military side. The guest assured that the NFIU in Lithuania will be manned by roughly 40 troops from across the Alliance, about a half of them will be from Lithuania. The NFIU will report directly to the Multinational Corps Northeast in Szczecin.
Moreover, NATO General underscored that more numerous and more intense NATO exercise would be seen on land, in the sea and in the air in the Baltic region in 2015. According to him, some of the elements of the newly formed VJTF will be trained and certified here.
Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum is responsible for leading the NATO Mission Resolute Support in Afghanistan, NATO Response Force (NRF), and formation of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force. It also ensures a link between NATO command and military structures.
Spokesperson to the Chief of Defence Captain Mindaugas Neimontas, office phone no. 00370
5 278 5091, mobile phone no. 00370 682 25359, email: mindaugas.neimontas@mil.lt
Photo credits: A.Pliadis
