On May 4 phase II begins in the national Exercise Lightning Strike 15. Members of the Lithuanian Armed Forces will cooperate with officers of the Ministry of the Interior, the training event will also certify the national Response Force. The field training exercise which will be running till May 10 is based on a scenario where situation requires more capabilities than the Ministry of the Interior has to offer and the Response Force of the Lithuanian Armed Forces needs to be deployed.
According to the exercise scenario state of emergency is declared across various locations of Lithuania, state border protection is strengthened in certain sectors, and Kaišiadorys and Švenčionys districts are declared military territories. "An alleged limited territory will be designated where the Armed Forces is authorised to respond to armed incidents by a decree of the President of Lithuania," head of the military training command Lieutenant Colonel Algimantas Misiūnas said about the exercise scenario. Corresponding military accessions will take place in the Gaižiūnų Training Area in Rukla and the General Silvestras Žukauskas training Area in Pabradė.
Phase II of Exercise Lightning Strike 15 will take place mainly in populated areas: in Klaipėda, Kaišiadorys, Švenčionėliai, and in Kaunas district. In these urban areas the Lithuanian Response Force and the Domestic Support Forces will complete assignments in cooperation with the Aras Antiterrorist Operations Unit of the Lithuanian Police, Public Security Service, Fire and Rescue Department and State Border Guard Service. The exercise will also train conducting medical evacuation in cooperation with state and regional medical institutions and first medical aid stations.
POC: PAO for the Joint Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Captain Donatas Suchockis, 00370 686 28035
Photo credits: Pte Paulius Čilinskas
