On April 15 the flag of Portugal was raised at the Brigadier General Povilas Plechavičius Training Area in Kairiai as a sign of Portuguese force presence in Central and Eastern European NATO Allies as part of the NATO Assurance Measures for bolstering Allied security. The flag hoisting ceremony and base inauguration was attended by unit commanders of Klaipėda Garrison, representatives of other statutory institutions, and representative of the NATO Force Integration Unit Capt Piotr Suciak on behalf of the NFIU Commander.
The Portuguese rotational force contingent will train until July to respond to threats potentially facing the Alliance and for strengthening deterrence side by side with the Griffin Brigade in joint exercises and training. The Portuguese rotational force contingent is formed by infantry companies, logistics specialists and special operations troops.
Cooperation with NATO Allies through the Griffin Brigade strengthens national defence, while interoperability development mutually enhances military capability and helps to better align with NATO standards through information exchange, coordination of actions and mutual assistance in delivering on an effective and efficient security policy and prevention of potential conflicts during deployments to joint missions, exercises and training.
The Portuguese detached force units have been rotated to Lithuania since 2015 to strengthe security of NATO Allies on the basis of the NATO Assurance Measures.
Photo credits: Cpl Gabija Vaitkutė