NATO Force Integration Units (NFIU) are small command and control headquarters whose key mission is to facilitate the rapid deployment of the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) and additional rapid response elements into the region if needed. The NFIUs will have a key role in planning, exercising, and assisting potential reinforcements, providing a vital link between national forces and multinational NATO forces.
The establishment of these six NFIUs in six Allies – Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania – was agreed by NATO Heads of State and Government at the Wales Summit in 2014. All the six NFIUs were officially activated on September 1, 2015. NFIU in Vilnius, Lithuania, was inaugurated on 3 September 2015.
The NFIU in Lithuania is operating as an intermediate unit facilitating interoperability among national and the region-deployed allied forces. It is also contributing to enhance allied training and exercises, and liaison with NATO’s operational commands. The staff of the NFIU is cooperating with national forces to identify traffic junctions, key logistical and other necessary infrastructure in the country, which will facilitate the quickest possible redeployment of NATO’s response forces into the Baltic region. The NFIU in Vilnius is comprised of roughly 40 military personnel, half of which is provided by other allied nations. The international staff is comprised of representatives from more than 14 NATO member states.
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