The ceremony is expected to be attended by Minister of National Defence Juozas Olekas, Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lieutenant General Arvydas Pocius, commanders of the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ branches, Commander of the Mechanised Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf Colonel Valdemaras Rupšys, commanding personnel of military units, Mayor of Kaunas Mr Andrius Kupčinskas, the Ambassadors and the Defence Attachés of Japan, U.S.A. and Ukraine, countries contributing to the Lithuanian-led PRT in Ghor, in Lithuania, representatives of the administration of Kaunas, relatives of the deployed soldiers and other guests.
The ceremony will begin with a holly mass at the Church of St Michael the Archangel (Garrison) of Kaunas, then the PRT-17 will march down Laisvės Avenue to the garden of Vytautas the Great War Museum to the tunes of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Band and fall into a formation.
Military Advisory Team (MAT) and Operational Coordination Centre Advisory Team (OCCAT) that will provide mentoring for the local security forces in Ghor will travel to Afghanistan along with the military contingent of the PRT-17. Lithuanian military who will be posted to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force’s (ISAF) Central Command in Kabul and the Regional Command-West in Herat will be formally deployed during the same ceremony.
The 17th shift of the Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team which will close the PRT mission Ghor is formed mainly by the General Romualdas Giedraitis Artillery Battalion of the Mechanised Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf. In 2009 the Battalion’s military personnel were deployed to Afghanistan with the PRT-9.
Lithuania has scheduled closing the PRT mission and withdrawing its personnel from Ghor by the end of 2013.
As the transfer of the security lead in Afghanistan is gathering momentum and the whole province of Ghor was drawn into the process late in 2012, the objective of Chaghcharan PRT is to strengthen the capacity of local administration with a focus on mentoring.
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