September 21, 32 volunteer soldiers of the 5th Territorial Unit, Vytis Military District, National Defence Volunteer Force, attended a deployment ceremony at the Castle of Biržai courtyard before leaving for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), Gao province, eastern part of the country, to serve as the 8th rotation of the Force Protection Unit. They will be responsible for force security in the military base territory and serve with German soldiers.
“Let me wish you a sense of duty and fighting spirit, whether it is going to be easy of hard – because such is the commitment of Lithuania as a state to the world. You will be serving in a German military base at the same time as German troops are serving in our country, this is cooperation. You are going to a land where political division prevents security and it depends solely on peacekeepers. I wish you good luck in fulfilling your combat duties,” National Defence Volunteer Defence Force Commander Col Dainius Pašvenskas said wishing farewell the troops.
According to the NDVF Commander, the biggest challenges his troops would face in a multinational environment would be to retain the team spirit and to adjust to challenging climatic conditions.
“Your mission will begin when you disembark the plane in Mali, while to your families it has already begun when you told them about your decision. I thank the military families who farewell you today and invite them to give you their best support throughout the mission period,” NDVF Commander said.
The deployment ceremony was held after a celebration of a holy mass at St john the Baptist Church –Chaplain Lt Col Virginijus Veilentas blessed the FPU rotation and told them about his experience of international missions. Soldiers received tokens – badges of Vytis, symbol of unity, loyalty, courage, wisdom, and life. The ceremony was also attended by an MP, municipality mayors, commanders of NDVF territorial units, young riflemen, families of the leaving soldiers.
The United Nations launched Operation MINUSMA in the Republic of Mali in 2013. Lithuania contributed its first Force Protection Unit formed by NDVF troops to the operation on 19 October 2017. Lithuanians are operating side by side with colleagues of the German Contingent, the new rotation will stand in for the outgoing 6th Territorial Unit of the Resurrection Military District of the National Defence Volunteer Force.
On account of the global coronavirus pandemic and measures applied to prevent the spread, Lithuanian military personnel deployed to international operations and missions also have to take additional precautions. They are checked with the rapid COVID-19 tests before deployment and after redeployment home, undergo the 14-day quarantine periods before and after deployments, they are given personal protective equipment, repeatedly debriefed on hygiene requirements, etc. The deployed military personnel also obey service restrictions set by the operational commander, such as, prohibition to leave base territory or a (possibly tightened) service regimen.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces first deployed to an international operation on 22 August 1994: a peacekeeping platoon LITPLA-1 , a 32-strong unit led by Capt Artūras Chrapko, was deployed to Croatia. Since then, Lithuania has been taking part in different international operations and thus contributing to international efforts to create a more secure environment and stabilize regions of crises.
Lithuania’s involvement in international operations, training and advisory missions in the Middle East and Africa has been growing in recent years. Currently approx. 120 members of the Lithuanian Armed Forces are serving in nine international missions and operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Ukraine, Mali, Turkey, CAR, Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean.
Roughly 7000 Lithuanian soldiers have been deployed to international missions and operations over more than a quarter of century. It gives them valuable experience and improves their abilities in defence area, it also allows them to share the acquired experience. For example, in the first Lithuanian national military training mission launched in Ukraine in 2017, or in NATO, EU and coalition-led operations and mission s in Mali, CAR, Iraq, and Afghanistan, where Lithuanian soldiers are working side by side with our allies on training local security forces.
The number of women deploying to international operations is also consistently increasing. For instance, there were no Lithuanian female servicemembers in international operations in 2016, while in 2018 and 2019 there were 12. The current deployments of women make up 2.6 percent of the total of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
Photo credits: NDVF
