"I am absolutely certain that the rotating presence of allied forces in Lithuania is not only a great opportunity for our soldiers to enrich their skills and knowledge to act side by side with our strategic allies through combined training but also a clear message to those who may attempt on the stability and peace in the region and to whom the values we have been cherishing for nearly a quarter of the decade are foreign," Minister of National Defence Juozas Olekas says.
A unit of the size of a company in the US Army with support units, roughly 20 vehicles in total, including five M1A2 Abrams tanks, will be deployed in Lithuania. The incoming shift includes roughly 150 members. They will arrive from their permanent stations at Fort Stewart, Georgia, United States, and at Vilseck, Germany.
Members of the 3rd Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment, US Army in Europe, were deployed in Rukla in early January. This is the fifth of the rotating U.S. contingents that have been taking turns in the Baltic States and Poland since spring 2014 as a reassurance to NATO allies of US commitments to collective defence in the light of the aggressive Russia's actions in Ukraine.
Just previous rotations, the new US shift and their equipment will be deployed at the Duke Vaidotas Mechanised Infantry Battalion of the Mechanised Infantry Brigade in Rukla. The military materiel brought by the new US rotation will allow Lithuanian soldiers to train, learn and be ready to cooperate with all sorts of allied units, from tank to infantry.
Currently the 5th US rotation, i.e. the US Lightning Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment, are training with Lithuanians in Rukla.
US military are deployed on a rotating basis in the Baltic States and Poland since spring 2014 as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve. The operation led by US European Command is aimed at demonstrating the US commitments and interaction with NATO allies through ensuring security in the region.