Operational unit of Lithuanian Armed Forces National Support Unit (NSU) will be functioning in Kabul, Afghanistan, from February 2. New formation will be responsible for providing general logistic support for military units and separate soldiers of Lithuanian Armed Forces.
NSU was established to proceed with transformation of Lithuanian Armed Forces and to ensure operational capabilities would receive better logistic provision and its control. The new unit will fall under the direct command of the Chief of Defence Staff of Lithuania, at operational level it will be subordinate to the Chief of Joint Staff of Lithuanian Armed Forces.
The new operational unit was formed on the basis of a transformed Logistic Support Unit. It comprises 18 experts in various fields: financiers, experts of procurement, experts of shipment and movement control, depot personnel, etc.)
”Up to present resources of operation maintenance were dispersed among different services of armed forces thus undermining efficiency of control. After establishment of NSU, application of assets and funds and logistic support will be managed and control via the centre," said Commander of the first rotation at NSU Lt. Col. Sigitas Mundris.
The new military operational unit will undertake the following tasks: procedures of purchasing material assets, services and labour in the mission area, storage, supply, accounting and write-off of material assets kept in Afghanistan, managing financial resources of Lithuanian Armed Forces, arranging reception of operations forces and civilians and organisation of further movement, etc.
”In the first half of this year we also plan to introduce a joint information system of accounting material assets to integrate all the units deployed to Afghanistan. The structure of NSU and information system presently installed will help manage property and financial resources of Lithuanian Armed Forces in the operation area in a centralised way, and ensure more effective logistic provision of operational forces," said Lt. Col. S. Mundris.
NSU is deployed in Kabul International Airport. Separate members of the unit will work in Kandahar Airfield, and the NSU Provision Team – in the camp of Lithuanian-led Ghowr Provincial Reconstruction Team in Chaghcharan.
Currently there are around 140 Lithuanian soldiers deployed in Afghanistan. They participate in the NATO ISAF PRT mission in Chaghcharan, NATO ISAF headquarters in Kabul and Herat, and NATO ISAF mission in South Afghanistan.
