Exercise Arcade Fusion of the headquarters of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) based in the United Kingdom will run in Lithuania on November 9-20. The exercise will put to test new concepts that could also for the development of the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF). The exercise will also assess conditions for deployment into and completion of tasks in this specific area and build on the cooperation with Baltic allies.

NATO Force Integration Unit activated in Vilnius earlier this year facilitates reception of the deploying forces and coordination of cooperative actions.

"NATO Force Integration Unit will assist in all the ways possible to improve coordination and cooperative actions between the host nation and deployed forces so as to ensure a more fluent and speedier deployment of the arriving forces," Commander NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) Lithuania Col Jakob Sogard Larsen said. According to NFIU commander, elements of NATO forces will enable the unit under his lead to become a key expert team capable of ensuring deployment of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force in the Baltic states fluently and speedily.

Commander the unit deployed by the ARRC HQ Brigadier General Torsten Gersdorf underscored that such exercises as Arcade Fusion will also be organised in the future to demonstrate NATO commitment to ensure security of the Baltic states. According to General, it will be done through continued close cooperation with governments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and with other NFIUs.

"Appropriate host nation support we render to deploying allies is vital. This is a highly complex process which involves other state authorities alongside the military," Chief of the Joint Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Brigadier General Vilmantas Tamošaitis said. Logistical component of the Lithuanian Armed Forces is rendering comprehensive support for Arcade Fusion 2015 purposes. Movement control specialists assist to ensure a coordinated and fluent redeployment of units to air and sea ports, soldiers of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytenis Main Support Logistics Battalion have already prepared military villages at Kairiai Training Area from where allies' equipment will be arranged to further routes. Lithuanian military Police will ensure escort and other legal assistance to the deploying forces all along.

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