The second rotation of the Netherlands Armed Forces was deployed to Lithuania to join the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battlegroup in Lithuania, Rukla. The new Dutch rotation is mainly formed by soldiers with the 42nd Armoured Infantry Battalion, Regiment Limburgse Jagers in Oirschot, 13th Light Brigade.
Established in 1813, Limburgse Jagers Regiment is the oldest infantry regiment in the Netherlands Armed Forces. Over the more than 200 years of its existence the unit fought in the historical battle of Waterloo, deployed to stabilisation operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Dutch contingent brought all the unit's equipment dedicated - Boxer infantry fighting vehicles and Fennec vehicles of various roles. Over 200 Dutch soldiers will be a part of the integrated combat training in Lithuanian Armed Forces training areas alongside other soldiers of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup.
In 2017-2018 the NATO eFP unit in Lithuania will be manned by Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Croatia and France - roughly 1,200 soldiers in total. The Battlegroup in Lithuania is mainly composed of German troops and is led by a German officer.
At peacetime the NATO battalion will train together with Lithuanian forces, just like it will defend Lithuania alongside national forces and additionally deployed reinforcement in case of a crisis.
The NATO battalion in Lithuania is comprised of a headquarters and a headquarters company, logistic support company, and three to four combat companies, and different combat support units. Reinforcement to the NATO forward presence battalion will be deployed when necessary, i.e. when exercises are held or in case of threat. Artillery, air defence, engineer, and other units have already been deployed to train in an exercise in Lithuania this year.
Lithuania renders all host nation support to allied forces, including accommodation, catering, logistical support. Leaders of NATO allies agreed at the NATO Summit in Warsaw that four NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battlegroups would be deployed in the Baltic states and Poland as of 2017 to strengthen NATO presence in response to the Russian aggression in Ukraine and the changed security situation.
Information by the Lithuanian Armed Forces, photo credits: NATO eFP Battalion
