Lithuanian Armed Forces Medals for Contribution to Mutual Support were presented to the German soldiers deployed in Lithuania since January 2017 by the leadership of the Mechanised Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf. The most distinguished performance of German troops was recognised with the Lithuanian Land Force Medals for Distinguished Service and certificates of commendation.
Commander of the Mechanised Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf Colonel Mindaugas Steponavičius and Commander NATO eFP Battalion Battlegroup Lieutenant Colonel Christoph Huber thanked the soldiers and wished a safe journey home at the ceremony.
Over 400 German soldiers with equipment and roughly 100 military vehicles of different roles serve as the basis of the Battalion’s headquarters element, headquarters company and one of the eFP manoeuvre companies. The major part of the German troops in the first shift were deployed from the 12th Mechanised Infantry Brigade, 122nd Mechanised Infantry Battalion of the German Armed Forces.
The German rotation used Leopard 2 A6 main battle tanks, Marder infantry fighting vehicles, Boxer and Fuchs armoured personnel carriers, trucks and all-terrain vehicles of various roles, for training in Lithuania.
Next German rotation will start service with the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup in early August.
Currently the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battlegroup in Lithuania includes military personnel from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Norway. The Battlegroup in Lithuania is mainly composed of German troops and is led by a German officer. In 2017-2018 the NATO eFP unit in Lithuania will be manned by Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Croatia and France.
