April 20-30, members of the Movement Control Centre of the Lithuanian Armed Forces participated in the „MILU MUSTER" exercise of the Movement Control Multinational Integrated Logistic Unit (MILU) hosted by Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
The purpose of the exercise was to evaluate operational capabilities of the multinational logistic unit and to activate it for assignments.
The exercise was held in two phases. During the passive phase member states of the project shared information about the personnel delegated into MILU, its readiness, logistics and sustention, at the Kw Maj Housiau military base in Belgium. Having acquainted with the operation, schedule, and assignments of groups soldiers joined the active phase. The fictitious scenario situation required redeployment of the UK forces to the Czech Republic via Germany and the Netherlands.
In the active phase of the training Lithuanian troops conducted coordination of road transportation, i.e., surveillance of road and railway infrastructure, seaports in the Netherlands and Germany and German airports, analysis of suitability of the ports for transportation and possibilities to conduct military redeployment operations, calculation of transportation possibilities for capabilities requiring redeployment, consultations with agents of civilian companies on delivery of various types of services.
Having completed the mentioned tasks members of the Movement Control Centre were assigned to an operational planning group in charge of distributing and controling various tasks of other groups and reporting the obtained result to commander. They also organised a scale of operations: unloading military equipment from a ship and loading into vans and tugs, decision-making regarding accidents and failures in activity.
„Participation in such a project is a source of priceless experience for daily service, part-taking in the further stage of MILU development, and the upcoming exercise of the Movement Control Unit in Klaipėda alike", said 1st Lt. Karolis Grabauskas, a participant.
Logistics Command of the Lithuanian Armed Forces has been a part of the Canadian forces-led project since 2005. Troops and vehicles of the Movement Control Centre have been delegated to various exercises, training events and meetings for several years in a row.
On March 23, Commander of the Logistics Command of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Col. Ovidijus Eitminavičius on behalf of the Ministry of National Defence signed a Memorandum of Understanding on formation of the Movement Control Multinational Integrated Logistic Unit with representatives of Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Slovakia, and Hungary in Brussels.
Movement Control Multinational Integrated Logistic Unit (MILU) is a joint movement control unit of NATO member nations whose mission is maintaining readiness to deploy to the theatre of operation together with forces of other NATO members and providing movement control support during stages of deployment, sustainment, redeployment and integration.
PR Officer of the Logistics Command 1st Lt. Rūta Gaižutytė, phone no. 00370 606 99 707.
Picture by 1st Lt. K. Grabauskas.
