January 4, changeover ceremony of contingents deployed on the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission in the Šiauliai Air Base will be held. Germany's Air Contingent will replace air assets and personnel of Denmark after four months on guard of the Baltic skies, the incoming contingent will patrol the airspace with six single-seated F-4 Phantom fighters. The ceremony will be attended by Lithuanian, German, Estonian, and Lithuanian military delegates as well as representatives of the city and district of Šiauliai.
German Air Force will provide personnel and assets for the protection of the Baltic airspace for the fifth time.
For the preceding two times (in 2005 and 2008) Germans were patrolling with F-4F Phantom, during the third deployment in 2009 Eurofighter jets were used in the first two months and then were substituted for F-4F Phantom. The third shift (from January to April of 2011) was conducted with six F- 4F Phantom fighters.
The Air Contingent was delegated for the fifth mission by the Wittmund Air Force Base in Lower Saxony. The shift will include 110 members: pilots, technicians, medical personnel, logistic support groups, communications specialists. Unit of Fire Fighters Service deployed by the Guard Regiment of the German Air Force will also conduct duty during this rotation. The greater part of equipment and inventory necessary for the mission was brought to the Air Base on December 27. Personnel and commander of the regiment will rotate in the course of the four-month duty period. The first shift of military personnel will be commanded by Lt Col Werner Theisen.
The outgoing Air Contingent of the Danish Royal Air Force began the NATO Air Policing mission in the Baltic States in September. Denmark has been deployed on the mission for three times already.
NATO countries began deploying air personnel and assets to ensure security of the Baltic skies on March 29 of 2004 when the three Baltic States entered NATO. The first rotations of the mission lasted for three months and were taken up by Belgian, Danish, United Kingdom's, Norway's, Dutch, German, US, and Polish troops; in spring of 2006 a four-month duty period was introduced and implemented by Turkey, Spain, Belgium, and France. Later a Portuguese air contingent performed duty for a month and a half, Norway's, Poland's, Germany's and the United States' air personnel - for three months, and the successive Czech, German, French, Polish and US air contingents - for four months. The outgoing Danish troops have been serving for four months, and so will the German Air Contingent to take over the mission on January 4.
On August 31 of 2010 the North Atlantic Council adopted the decision to prolong the Baltic Air Policing mission till the end of 2014. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia spires to the mission extended till 2018. The fighter-jets deployed in Šiauliai perform quick reaction alert (QRA) functions and maintain readiness to conduct alert take-offs to provide deterrent, combat or other kinds of actions against violators in the Baltic airspace.
For the media:
Media representatives willing to observe the changeover ceremony at the Air Base on Wednesday, January 4, should register before 14.00 of Tuesday, January 3, with the Air Base at 00370 41 59 21 51 or e-mail ieva.gulbiniene@mil.lt. Registered media representatives should arrive at the Šiauliai Air Base (Lakūnų str. 3, Šiauliai) at 10.35 on January 4.
Media representatives willing to attend the ceremony will have an opportunity to use MOD transport. Those willing to use it are to contact the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of National Defence before 14.00 of Tuesday, January 3 (POC - Asta Galdikaitė) at 00370 5 273 5519, 00370 687 90 765, or e-mail vis@kam.lt, full name and the name of the represented media will be required as well as e-mail address and contact phone number. Transport leaves from the square in front of the Ministry of National Defence on Wednesday, January 4, at 07.35.
Programme:
11.00 Beginning of the changeover ceremony, QRA Zone, Šiauliai Air Base.
11.00-11.35 Addresses. LITHAF Commander and Commander of the Šiauliai Air Base will decorate the outgoing Danish air personnel.
Hand-over of the symbolic key to the Baltic airspace to Commander of the German Air Contingent.
11.35-12.00 Presentation of F-4 Phantom and F-16 fighter-jets (by contingent commanders). A short conference in English.
12.00 - 12.10 Observation of F-16 scramble together with F-4 Phantom (depends on weather conditions)
12.10 End of the changeover ceremony
Lithuania's delegation:
LITHAF Commander Maj Gen Edvardas MAŽEIKIS
Commander LITHAF Air Base Lt Col Virginijus STEPONAVIČIUS
Denmark's delegation:
Col Karsten SCHULTZ, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations of the Danish Air Force
Denmark's Defence Attaché in the Baltic States Capt Ulf M. BERTHELSEN
Commander of the Danish Air Contingent Maj Dennis ANDERSEN
Germany's delegation:
Commander of 71 Richthofen Fighter Wing of the German Air Force Col Gerhard Roubal,
Germany's Defence Attaché in the Baltic States Lt Col Achim Wolfgang Neitzert
German Air Contingent Commander Lt Col Werner THEISEN
Estonia's delegation and representatives of CRC Karmėlava:
Lt Col Fredi Karu, Commander CRC Karmėlava
Latvia's delegation:
Deputy Chief of t Defence Staff Operations of the Latvian Armed Forces Brig Gen Juris ZEIBĀRTS,
Commander of the Latvian Air Force Col Aivars MEŽORS
Representatives of Šiauliai city and district:
Mayor of Šiauliai Justinas PARTAUSKAS
Mayor of Šiauiai District Algimantas GAUBAS
Chief of the General Police Bureau of Šiauliai Circuit Egidijus Lapinskas
Chief of Firefighters Rescue Service of Šiauliai Jonas MISIŪNAS
Information on F-4 „Phantom":
http://www.flugzeuginfo.net/acdata_php/acdata_f4_en.php
http://www.luftwaffe.de/portal/a/luftwaffe/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLNzKId_d1AslB2F7O-pFw0aCUVH1fj_zcVH1v_QD9gtyIckdHRUUATIJO0g!!/delta/base64xml/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS80SVVFLzZfMjBfMUE5Qw!!?yw_contentURL=%2F01DB060000000001%2FW27ELDU2763INFODE%2Fcontent.jsp
