On June 3 one of the largest multinational exercises to take place this year started by an opening ceremony at the Pabradės Training Area of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The ceremony was conducted in attendance of the Exercise Directing Staff: Chief of the Joint Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Brigadier General Vilmantas Tamošaitis, Commander of the Lithuanian Land Force and Exercise Director Major General Almantas Leika, Commander of the Pennsylvania National Guard Major General Wesley E. Craig and his Deputy Brigadier General Wilbur Wolf, and the Training Audience.
"This exercise is a wonderful example of a long-term military cooperation between Lithuania and our strategic partner - the United States of America. We have been forming our armed forces with great assistance from the U.S.A., joint training in various exercises and participation in multinational operations have given us invaluable experience. This is why I am convinced that we will continue working side-by-side with our allies and partners, which will keep us ready for every challenge possible," said Maj gen A.Leika, one of the Exercise Directors, in his address at the opening ceremony.
"Over the 20 years of close Baltic-U.S. military cooperation we have been participating in the multinational operation in Afghanistan together, we have been raising our leaders thus enhancing security in Europe, the U.S A. and the entire world," Commander of the Pennsylvania National Guard Maj Gen Wesley E. Craig said at the opening ceremony. The cooperation between the Lithuanian Armed Forces and the Pennsylvania National Guard will have been proceeding for 20 years this year, and military personnel of the Pennsylvania National Guard traditionally train in the "Saber Strike" series.
The U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) and the Armed Forces of the three Baltic States have organised the multinational exercise "Saber Strike 2013" in the Baltic States for the third time. In several training sites in Estonia and Lithuania brigade-level staff planning procedures will be improved while the Adazi range , Latvia, will host a company-level tactical field exercise involving land and air components and special operations forces' representatives from the three Baltic States, the United Kingdom and the United States. The exercise in Estonia will also involve a training event of the Multinational Corp North East (MNC NE) personnel.
Exercise participants and observers from Estonia, the United Kingdom, Latvia, Poland, Norway, Finland and the HQ MNC NE will attend the exercise alongside the U.S military personnel. There will be over 1 thousand of exercise participants in the part of the exercise hosted by Lithuania and the total of over 2 thousand - in all the three countries.
The exercise will train planning and completing operations of national defence. The Training Audience will be planning and carrying out defensive, offensive, fire-support and others types of military operations.
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On June 5 a Distinguished Visitors' Day of "Saber Strike 2013" will take place at the Pabradės Training Area of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. It will be attended by President of the Republic of Lithuania HE Dalia Grybauskaitė, Lithuanian MPs, representatives of the Committee on National Security and Defence, leadership of the Ministry of National Defence and the Lithuanian Armed Forces, representatives of other ministries of the Republic of Lithuania, ambassadors of foreign states in Lithuania, representatives of municipal institutions, high officers representing the participating countries, NATO MNC NE, the Pennsylvania National Guard, and others.
More information at: PAO for the multinational exercise "Saber Strike 2013" Capt Marius Varna, phone no. 00370 686 35 407.
Photos by Lina Ambroževičiūtė
