On May 12 a historical cannon salute announced the beginning of Exercise Black Arrow 2014, the largest tactical field training event of the Mechanised Infantry Brigade (MIB) Iron Wolf, Lithuanian Armed Forces, this year. For the following two weeks approximately 1,500 military from the MIB Iron Wolf and other units of the Lithuanian Armed Forces will be training defensive operation in Lithuanian territory along with servicemembers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade of the U.S. Army in Europe (USAREUR).
"The fact that we are going to exercise national defence with paratroopers of the United States of America makes this training event really special. Another exceptional aspect of this exercise is that our soldiers will be training airborne operations apart from integrating the full spectrum of weaponry. This is a unique opportunity for learning from each other and for achieving better interoperability," Commander of the Lithuanian Land Force Major General Almantas Leika said at the opening ceremony of Exercise Black Arrow 2014.
"We appreciate the opportunity to join an exercise of such nature and to train side by side with Lithuanians. I believe that Exercise Black Arrow 2014 will provide a wonderful chance for troops of both nations to learn acting together, to draw experience from each other and this way to enhance interoperability," Commander of the BRAVO Company, 1st Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, Captain Nicholas Salimbene said.
Commander of the MIB Iron Wolf Colonel Raimundas Vaikšnoras delivered a congratulatory address to the parade of exercise participants.
After the conclusion of the ceremony the exercise participants proceeded to prepare for exercise tasks.
Course, tasks and participants of Exercise Black Arrow 2014
Tactical field Exercise Black Arrow 2014 will be conducted in three phases. During the first phase on May 12-16 the participating units will be trained to complete different defensive tasks and certified. The following phase will focus on the integration of the combat team formed by the Duke Vaidotas Mechanised Infantry Battalion and units assigned to it in order to synchronise their joint action and achieve interoperability. The third portion will be the active phase where tactical tasks will be executed on a nonstop basis according to a scenario generated by the Directing Staff on May 18-22. At the conclusion of the exercise a hot wash up will follow and the units will deploy back to their permanent bases.
The training audience of the exercise will perform procedures of mounting for a battle, drill tactical movement, positioning in a concentration area, preparation for defence and performance of tactical defensive actions, operation in a CBR-contaminated area, capture and protection of objects, train operating in the rear of an enemy and to disrupt their adversary's actions.
Concurrently, the units will hone C2 procedures, coordination of actions, ensuring functioning of command posts, carry out operational planning, tactical decision-making, and perform other tasks.
The target training audience of the exercise is the staff of the Duke Vaidotas Mechanised Infantry Battalion with units of the MIB Iron Wolf and the Lithuanian Grand Duke Kęstutis Mechanised Infantry Battalion assigned to it, an infantry company from the Lithuanian Grand Duke Butigeidis Dragoon Battalion.
The BRAVO Company of USAREUR's 1st Battalion,173rd Airborne Brigade, will participate actively in the tasks of the training audience and will do their specialty parachute jumps. A company-sized unit (approximately 150 members) of the Vicenza, Italy-based 173rd Airborne Brigade was moved to Lithuania with own equipment and weaponry required for the purposes of the joint exercise.
So far, U.S. military presence is planned to be maintained in Lithuania till the end of the running year. Currently the U.S. troops are accommodated at the Lithuanian Grad Duke Vaidotas Mechanised Infantry Battalion of the Mechanised Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf in Rukla.
The U.S. military will engage in a ground force combat training throughout Lithuania as of May. U.S. troops will also take part in Exercise Black Arrow in May, U.S.-Baltic States Exercise Saber Strike, and other cooperative training events.
Lithuania is providing the U.S. military with all the elements of host nation support necessary, i.e. accommodation, meals, logistic provision, etc.
The United States has deployed land force troops as a NATO ally in response to the threats for the region posed by the Russian intervention in Ukraine. The United States is also deploying army companies to Poland, Latvia and Estonia.
Staffs of Algirdas and Kęstutis mechanised infantry battalions and the General Romualdas Giedraitis Artillery Battalion will be training planning and control of defensive operations as the secondary training audience. The Brigade's Reconnaissance Company, Fire Battery of the General Romualdas Giedraitis Artillery Battalion, 2nd Territorial Unit, Darius and Girėnas Military District, National Defence Volunteer Force (NDVF), and units from the Juozas Vitkus Engineer Battalion, Military Medical Service and the Air Defence Battalion will also be performing tasks according to the exercise scenario.
The exercise directing staff will receive support from teams formed by the Juozas Lukša Training Centre of the Lithuanian Land Force, Lithuanian Air Force and the CIMIC Company, 8the Territorial Unit, Didžioji Kova Military District, National Defence Volunteer Force. Soldiers of the Grand Duchess Birute Uhlan Battalion and the Brigade's reconnaissance personnel will play the role of hostile forces, while actual provision for the exercise will be ensured by personnel of the Headquarters and Signal Companies of the MIB Iron Wolf.
The units will be evaluated and observed by a team including military personnel from across the Lithuanian Land Force.
Tactical field exercise Black Arrow 2014 is organised in the framework of combat readiness plan of MIB Iron Wolf. It will conclude the combat training cycle oriented towards defensive tasks of the Duke Vaidotas Mechanised Infantry Battalion of the MIB Iron Wolf and units assigned to it. Earlier this year, in the beginning of March, certification battalion-level command post Exercise White Wolf II was held where the capacity of the staff of the Vaidotas Battalion to plan defensive operations was certified.
POC - Assistant to the Commander of the MIB Iron Wolf Captain Ainaras Jonaitis. Mobile phone no. 00370 614 35 693; email: ainaras.jonaitis@mil.lt
Photo credits: SFC Eugenijus Žygaitis.
Video report by: SSP Lukas Kalvaitis.
