In the evening of May 17 military personnel of a NATO ally, the United States America, and Lithuania completed an airborne landing operation at the Gaižiūnų Training Range, Rukla.
According to the exercise scenario generated by the Exercise Directing Staff the reconnaissance personnel of the Lithuanian Mechanised Infantry brigade Iron Wolf and the members of the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade executed parachute jumps into a designated theatre of operation.
The exercise participants regrouped promptly, assaulted two objects secured by hostile forces, and neutralised the "bad guys". 120 Lithuanian and U.S. military completed the airborne landing operation successfully which meant ensuring control of the runway vital for further success of the operation.
As part of the active phase, the third portion, of Exercise Black Arrow of the Mechanised Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf the airborne landing operation was planned out by the staff of the Duke Vaidotas Mechanised Infantry Battalion. The Lithuanian and U.S. training audience will be continuing completing tactical defensive posture-oriented tasks on a nonstop basis further.
The airborne landing operation was observed by Commander of the Lithuanian Land Force Major General Almantas Leika and Commander of NATO's Allied Land Command Lieutenant General Frederick Ben Hodges conducting a work visit in Lithuania. The NATO General has arrived to inspect the course of integration of the U.S. troops into the cycle of the Lithuanian Land Force's combat training, observe tactical field exercise Black Arrow 2014, and meet with the U.S. personnel.
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Exercise Black Arrow 2014 is the largest tactical field training event of the Mechanised Infantry Brigade (MIB) Iron Wolf, Lithuanian Armed Forces, this year taking place on May 12-23 at the Gaižiūnų Training Area, Rukla. It is training approximately 1,500 military from the MIB Iron Wolf and other units of the Lithuanian Armed Forces defensive operation in the territory of Lithuania alongside the 173rd Airborne Brigade of the U.S. Army in Europe (USAREUR).
Tactical field Exercise Black Arrow 2014 falls in three main phases. The participating units were trained to complete different defensive tasks and certified during the first phase on May 12-15. The second phase focussed on the synchronisation of joint action of the combat team formed by the Duke Vaidotas Mechanised Infantry Battalion and units assigned to it, and on preparation for the completion of the defensive operation. The third phase that has already begun and will run till May 22 is the active phase where Lithuanian and U.S. exercise participants are executing tactical tasks oriented towards defence on a nonstop basis according to the scenario generated by the Directing Staff.
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: Antanas Gedrimas and SFC Eugenijus Žygaitis
More photos on MoD Facebook account.
