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Lithuanian Naval Force - guarantee of security in Lithuania‘s territory in the Baltic Sea

Lithuanian Naval Force - guarantee of security in Lithuania‘s territory in the Baltic Sea

 

 

The name of the armed itself bears association with military naval operations. But what are daily duties of servicemen in the Naval Force?

 

The Lithuanian Naval Force is an important part of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Lithuania that ensures security of our country and its citizens in the territorial waters and exclusive economic zone of Lithuania in the Baltic Sea. Its tasks include surveillance, control and defence of above-water and underwater environment of Lithuania's territorial sea, economic zone, and continental shelf, mine clearance and counter-terrorist operations, defence and control of navigation, search and rescue, and other special tasks as well as cooperation with other governmental institutions in case of emergency.

 

The Lithuanian Naval Force employs around 700 officers, NCOs, soldiers of lower ranks, and civilian personnel.

The Lithuanian Naval Force falls into the following structure: Naval Flotilla, Sea and Coastal Surveillance Service, Underwater Action Team, Logistics Command, Training Centre, and Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.

 

Naval Flotilla is the central element of the Lithuanian Naval Force, it is divided into Combat Ship, Mine countermeasures, Patrol Ships and Support Ship Squadrons. The majority of warships, rescue ships and harbour cutters of the Squadrons are based there. Members of LNF follow the routine to maintain arms and equipment of the ships in order to keep them in excellent operation and put the ships in use whenever necessary. Besides, in combat sections of the ships ashore wide scale of training events is conducted jointly and separately to brush up servicemen's knowledge and to ensure that both on land and at sea shipcrews would co-work as precisely as a Swiss watch.

 

By rotations the ships are sent to patrol in the sea, conduct seafloor observation and minesweeping, improve combat actions in a wide scale of military training, either separately or jointly with other ships or assets of the Lithuanian Air Force. One ship always assigned for standby is ready to sail out to the sea within the shortest time and complete all the necessary tasks.

 

Posts of the Sea and Coastal Surveillance Service are based along the entire Lithuania's territorial coastline of the Baltic Sea. Members of this service do permanent watch-on and control of all the ships in the territorial waters and exclusive economic zone of Lithuania. If additional information is found necessary, radio communication or warship on patrol at sea are employed.

 

Underwater Action Team conducts daily checkup of hulls and mechanisms of LNF ships and piers, on-land and underwater training for mine clearance divers; members of the Team serve in crews and mine countermeasures vessels, mine-hunt and sweep for unexploded ammunition and maintain readiness to conduct search and rescue operations.

 

Logistics Command is responsible for uniform clothing and catering of LNF soldiers, timely provision of necessary means and equipment for divisions, conduct transportation of soldiers and shipment , technical maintenance of ships and barrels, and repair of weaponry and means of transportation. Thorough daily efforts of this Command ensures high motivation of soldiers of the Lithuanian Naval Force and upgrades their conditions of service.

 

Organisation and conduct of qualification improvement courses for soldiers and officers, preparation of specialist training programmes is a daily routine of the Naval Force Training Centre. Its existence ensures personnel for the Lithuania Naval Force that constantly improves their qualification and professionality.

 

The youngest subunit of LNF is Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre founded on 1 January 2009. It is in charge of organising, coordinating and conducting search and rescue actions, and elimination works of spill of polluting materials and elimination of other pollution incidents in appointed search and rescue and sea areas. Personnel of this subunit ensure permanent standby and rapid response and assistance in case of emergency.

 

Implementation of daily tasks for the Lithuanian Naval Force is a non-stop routine 7 days per week, 24 hours per day. Only excellently prepared and smoothly functioning equipment can ensure such operation along with motivated personnel ready to complete all the tasks necessary and ensuring constant and effective work - a well-deserved pride of the Lithuanian Naval Force.

 

Pictures of the Lithuanian Naval Force