On August 12 - 22 Exercise Vigilant Griffin 2019 conducted by the Motorised Infantry Brigade Griffin will take place at General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Area in Pabradė. The exercise will involve over 1000 soldiers, most of them from subunits of the MIB Griffin, a Baltic Battalion company, and the Portuguese rotational force contingent.
The main objective of the exercise is to train and evaluate the Lithuanian contingent in the Baltic Battalion, to train MIB Griffin units in planning and conduct of defensive operations, and to evaluate military training level achieved by the Continuous Mandatory Initial Military Service conscripts of General Motiejus Pečiulionis Artillery and Duke Margiris Infantry Battalions and anti-tank company over the past nine months. Joint training environment with the Baltic Battalion and the Portuguese rotational contingent will create better conditions for improving interoperability among allies while efficiently completing joint tasks.
The final phase of the exercise will train live fire with different weaponry systems operated by Lithuania's and Portugal's military personnel. Simultaneous live fire of different military units and different weaponry systems requires not only great individual and teamwork skills but also reliable coordination among units. Such a dynamic exercise environment will help to assess the Baltic Battalion soldiers and the Continuous Mandatory Initial Military Service conscripts, as well as give useful experience for career soldiers to take to their home units.
The Baltic Battalion (BALTBAT20) is a project of the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian armed forces to standby for the NATO Response Force (NRF). The objective of the trilateral Battalion is to prepare for the standby for NRF and to maintain the readiness level in 2020. BALTBAT20 is largely constituted by the 1st Mechanised Battalion of the Latvian Armed Forces. Lithuania contributes a headquarters element formed by the Lithuanian Grand Duke Kęstutis Battalion of the Motorised Infantry Brigade Griffin, its infantry company reinforced by a platoon of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Butigeidis Dragoon Battalion, weapons platoon, logistical support and Military Medical Service elements, and a Tactical Air Control Party/Post of Brigadier General Motiejus Pečiulionis Artillery Battalion.
POC: Senior Specialist CIMIC/G9 Monika Zabinaitė, Motorised Infantry Brigade Griffin HQ, +370 62871108, monika.zabinaite @mil.lt
Photo credits: Laura Jokšaitė
