On November 28 soldiers of the NATO allies deployed in Lithuania will hold a community engagement event in Kėdainiai. It will be one of the meetings with the allied troops in Lithuania in the “NATO Day in the Region: Come, See, and Learn!” cycle of events, held for the NATO soldiers to get to know Lithuanian people in the region, tell about their mission and activities in Lithuania, remind what NATO is, what its goals are and what the importance of NATO membership to Lithuania is. NATO event in the region is organised to commemorate the 70th NATO anniversary and the 15th Lithuania’s anniversary in NATO.
“Communication with the people of Lithuania, seeking common goals is one of the key priorities of the NATO Force Integration Unit in Lithuania. To us, the ones who are responsible for NATO force redeployment, knowledge of the people and terrain is critical. We have visited nearly half of Lithuania’s municipalities and familiarised them with our activities during our four years here,” Commander of the NATO Force Integration Unit since its inauguration in 2015 Danish Army Lt Col Jakob Søgård Larsen says.
First events of the cycle have been held in Varėna, Merkinė, Rokiškis and Anykščiai earlier this year. Allies are meeting with local residents, showing their equipment and weaponry, and also familiarise with the environs, famous sites, community activities, visit and honour military burial places. NATO soldiers will also visit Biržai before the end of the year, in the second semester of December.
During NATO Days residents and administration of different regions are able to meet with soldiers, listen to lectures about the world’s strongest military Alliance and take part in discussions, also to view weaponry, equipment and gear used by the Lithuanian Armed Forces and the NATO forward Presence Battalion Battle Group.
The NATO Day in the Region events are organised by the NATO Force Integration Unit which was inaugurated in Lithuania in September 2015 and has been in operation since. Its mission is to ensure and facilitate a fluent and efficient deployment of the NATO Very High Readiness s Joint Task Force (VJTF), and other NATO units in Lithuania. NFIU tasks in Lithuania also include support to allied exercises and other assurance measures, contribution to Lithuania’s defence plans, and identification of infrastructure objects necessary for a rapid deployment of allied forces in Lithuania.
During peacetime the NFIU staff is 40-strong and comprised by international and Lithuanian Armed Forces soldiers. The staff is currently provided by 14 NATO countries. The decision to establish NATO Force Integration Units in 8 member states — Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary — was taken by NATO Heads of States and Governments at the NATO Summit in Wales in September 2014.
NATO Day programme in Kėdainiai
28 November 2019, Thursday
1000 –1030 hrs
Visiting the tomb of the first Lithuanian volunteer soldier killed in action Povilas Lukšys and other Lithuanian soldiers at Dotnuva str. Cemetery.
1100–1150 hrs
Meeting with communities of Kėdainiai high schools, static display of weaponry and equipment by
Atžalynas High School, Mindaugo g. 18.
1200–1300 hrs
Meeting with residents of Kėdainiai, static display of weaponry and equipment in the town centre, Avitelos Prekyba JSC parking lot, J. Basanavičiaus g. 51
POC: Maj Marius Geležiūnas, NATO Force Integration Unit Lithuania, [email protected], +370 659 10834
Photo credits: NFIU
