“We live in uncertain world right now and it is very difficult to predict what might happen in future. You are our real capability and we have no illusion that you might not be called upon to carry out the tasks you have demonstrated so well today. And if member states decide to use you for real you would do extraordinary good job for us and for security,” said the UK Minister for International Security Strategy Dr. Andrew Murrison while addressing the EUBG soldiers during the VIP day of the certification exercise held on 16 May in Salisbury Plain Training Area of the UK Armed Forces.
The VIP day of the EUBG certification exercise was also attended by Lithuanian Ambassador to the UK Asta Skaisgirytė-Liauškienė, Lithuanian National Defence Viceminister Marijus Velička, Chief of Joint Headquarters of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Brigadier General Vilmantas Tamošaitis together with other high ranking ministerial and military officers of the countries contributing to the EUBG commitment in the second half of 2013.
Since the certified EU capability will be on standby concurrently with Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Lithuania will aim at strengthening the EU crises response multinational capabilities – the EUBGs – as one of the priorities of its Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the area of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy.
From reaching its Full Operational Capability of the EUBG Concept in 2005 the EUBGs have been prevented from being used for deployment. For that reason Lithuania within term of its Presidency will seek promote a more flexible use and extended standby periods of the EU BGs with a view of increasing their cost efficiency, and will propose a more equal burden sharing related to the EUBGs' activation among the EU members.
“In carrying out the EU Common Security and Defence Policy, in the event of a threat, we should not hesitate and deploy EUBGs. As the host of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2013 Lithuania will activate the discussion on the use of the EUBG and seek put it on the agenda of the upcoming meeting of the European Council in December. To that end the Lithuanian and UK Ministries of Defence plan to hold an international seminar on the effectiveness of EUBGs in London in October later this year”, Lithuanian Vice Minister of Defence Marijus Velička said.
The EUBG certified for the second half of 2013 is approx 2 thousand-strong. The majority of the Lithuanian military assigned for standby in the EU BG are members of King Mindaugas Motorised Infantry Battalion. Lithuania will also post military officers to various positions in the EU BG’s headquarters.
In case of activation, the EUBG will be ready for deployment on the ground within 5–10 days and will be sustainable for 30–120 days to carry out humanitarian and rescue tasks, conflict prevention and peacekeeping, combat forces in crisis management; joint disarmament, military advice and assistance tasks, post conflict stabilisation.
The EUBGs are rapidly deployable and multinationally formed joint capabilities enabling the EU to provide a rapid response to emerging crises. Similarly to NATO’s Response Force, the EUBGs are made up of military units assigned by the EU member states for six-month standby periods.
This is not the first EUBG Lithuania has contributed to the EU capability. Personnel of the Lithuanian Armed Forces were assigned to complete half-year duty periods in the EU BGs in 2010 and 2011. In early 2015 Lithuania is expected to contribute to the Nordic Battlegroup led by Sweden.
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