Currently, about 120 military personnel of the Lithuanian Armed Forces are participating in nine multinational operations and missions. "Despite the global COVID-19 pandemic, Lithuania continues its commitment to international security and stability: Lithuanian military personnel today continue to carry out their tasks in accordance with the mandates of multinational operations," says the Minister.
The number of Lithuanian troops participating in multinational operations not only did not decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic, but even increased slightly - an additional 10 Lithuanian troops were deployed to the United Nations operation MINUSMA in Mali at the beginning of July.
COVID-19 prevention
In view of the global coronavirus pandemic and the measures taken to prevent it from spreading, additional protection measures are also applied to Lithuanian military personnel participating in multinational operations. Soldiers are tested by rapid COVID-19 tests before and after leaving a multinational operation. They are also subject to a two-week self-isolation regime before and after multinational operation, personal protective equipment is distributed, hygiene requirements are re-introduced, and so on. Among other things, soldiers are subject to service restrictions approved by the operation commander - e.g. out-of-base ban or approved / strengthened duty regime.
In the EU military training missions in Mali (EUTM MALI) and in the Central African Republic, due to restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic, decision was taken in the training missions to leave only necessary personnel. As a result, some troops involved in training missions were temporarily withdrawn from the area of operations in early April and training activities were suspended.
New operation
EU Council on March 31, 2020 approved the decision to launch a new EU operation, IRINI, in the Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR MED IRINI), which took over the tasks of Operation SOPHIA. Currently, the main task of the EU operation IRINI is to implement the United Nations Security Council arms embargo on Libya. Additional tasks include the fight against illegal migration, the training of Libyan coast guards and contributing to the prevention of illegal oil exports from Libya. Lithuania has appointed a representative for this operation - an officer of the Lithuanian Armed Forces is currently serving at the operation headquarters in Rome.
Facts
Lithuanian military personnel for the first time left for a multinational operation on August 22, 1994. Then the Lithuanian peacekeeping platoon LITPLA-1, consisting of 32 soldiers led by Capt Artūras Chrapko, flew to Croatia. Since then, Lithuania has been participating in various multinational operations, thus contributing to international efforts to create a safer environment and stabilize the situation in crisis-stricken regions.
In recent years, Lithuania has become increasingly involved in multinational operations, training and advisory missions in the Middle East and Africa. Currently, about 120 military personnel of the Lithuanian Armed Forces participate in nine multinational operations and missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Ukraine, Mali, Turkey, the Central African Republic, the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.
During more than a quarter of a century, about 7,000 Lithuanian soldiers were deployed in multinational operations and missions. By participating in them, military personnel not only gain valuable experience and strengthen the ability to defend themselves, but also pass on the gained experience to others who need it. For example, Lithuanian soldiers are contributing to the training of local security forces in the first national military training operation launched in 2017 in Ukraine, as well as in NATO, EU and coalition-led operations and missions in Mali, the Central African Republic, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Women also participate in multinational operations and missions and their numbers are steadily increasing. For example, in 2016 there was not a single woman who participated in the multinational mission, and in 2018 and 2019 already 12 women have gone on multinational operations and missions. At present, women's participation in multinational operations is 2.6 percent of the total number of Lithuanian soldiers.