On July 9 homecoming and decoration ceremony was held at the Ministry of National Defence in Vilnius for Lithuanian soldiers deployed back from the international Operation Resolute Support in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The event was attended by Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas, Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lt Gen Valdemaras Rupšys, participants of international operations, other guests.
“With this celebration of redeployment of our troops from Afghanistan and the end of the participation of our armed forces in the operation in Afghanistan, we finish writing a chapter in the history of the Lithuanian Armed Forces that we have been writing for the past 19 years. We thank our brave soldiers and civilians for the service and work in the operations in Afghanistan. The devoted service in Afghanistan has significantly improved the security of our country: when we assist our allies in the faraway lands, we pull in their assistance to Lithuania as well,” said A. Anušauskas.
“We have withdrawn our forces but I cannot call the end of this mission a full-stop because the military experience, skills and contacts will benefit us in our further service – in seeking readiness for national defence, in other missions, tasks, events or exercises,” V. Rupšys thanked the troops. “We have drawn our tasks to completion, fully what was planned, and therefore our deployment home is proud. We are also grateful to our allies for the opportunity to build a more peaceful world together, to the people of Afghanistan – for their willing cooperation, and to our fellow countrymen – for the support and understanding.
At the formal ceremony the homecoming soldiers presented to the Minister the colors that were flown in the area of operations, they we thanked for the honorable and honest completion of tasks and decorated.
“Deployment on a mission is a challenge to any soldier, both physically and psychologically. But also it is a unique experience for a soldier which strengthens a person’s identity and professionalism. We have come back stronger and prepared for future challenges,” said Maj Erikas Kaukas on behalf of all redeployed troops.
At the end of the ceremony the soldiers posed for an official “family” portrait and talked to the Media.
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The Lithuanian Armed Forces were first contributed to international operations in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in 2002 international military actions were initiated against the Taliban forces and Al-Qaeda following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States. In 2001 the United Nations decided to deploy the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). It was then that the first Lithuanian Special Operations Forces (SOF) troops and medics in composition of Czech and German field hospital personnel served in Afghanistan. Lithuanian SOF squadrons carried out ISAF operations in southern Afghanistan in 2005–2015, later Lithuanian SOF soldiers completed tasks in NATO’s Operation Resolute Support.
NATO took over the command of ISAF from the United Nations in August 2003: its main tasks were stabilization operations, reconstruction and support to Afghan governance institutions. The coalition forces started deploying throughout Afghanistan in 2004 , establishment of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) being one of the deployment forms. Lithuania stepped forward and became responsible for Ghor, one of the 30 Afghan provinces. A PRT was a battalion-like unit, approx. 2.5 thousand Lithuanian troops served in it in 2005–2013. Their major tasks in the area of responsibility were security, IED neutralization, training of the Afghan National Security Forces, and medical assistance to local population rendered by Lithuanian paramedics. Civilian means were used side by side with the military with an aim to keep a stable and consistent economic and infrastructural development, improvement of living conditions for the population in the province, facilitating consolidation of the rule of law, governance and administration. The PRT activities in the civilian and military component of Ghor were carried out by Lithuania, Denmark, Iceland, U.S., Croatia, Georgia, Ukraine, Japan, Office of the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan, law enforcement personnel from Poland, Romania and Finland. From a military point of view, it was the highest level international unit that Lithuania has ever been in command of. It was also our first and the biggest independent international operation.
The ISAF operation was closed on 31 December 2014, the responsibility for security in Afghanistan was divided between the Afghan forces and the United States. On 1 January 2015 NATO launched the Resolute Support Mission (RSM). The NATO-led international operation was an important international Alliance’s commitment from 2015. It trained, advised and assisted personnel of the Afghan National Security Forces and national security institutions. Lithuania was contributing quite significantly to the NATO military training operation in Afghanistan on the basis of its needs quite significantly. Deployments of up to 60 military and civilian personnel to Afghanistan was mandated: to the NATO operational headquarters, to deliver training for personnel of the Afghan National Security forces and national security institutions, to arrange logistical provision for the Lithuanian contingent in the operation. NATO took the decision to pull out military personnel from Afghanistan in April 2021, the withdrawal of troops from Operation Resolute Support in Afghanistan began on May 1. Lithuania’s participation in the operation concluded with the return of the last Lithuanian military personnel, military police officers and logisticians, in the end of June 2021.
The Lithuanian Military Police was completing tasks in 6 multinational operations in Afghanistan: as guard of the Head of the Special Mission, in the PRT, Police Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (POMLT), Afghan Operational Coordination Centre Advisory Team (OCCAT) , and in the International Military Police Mission at the Resolute Support Headquarters. Their tasks would be diverse and not necessarily coincide with their work in Lithuania. For example, completing international military police functions with colleagues from Australia and the U.S. – ensuring discipline among soldiers, preventing criminal offences and other infringements of law, removing causes and conditions for criminal offences and other infringements of law.
Other Lithuanian presence in Afghanistan were the National Support Element and the Air Training Team (ATT) rotations, personnel at the ISAF headquarters and the Joint Command, Regional Command – West, NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan (NTM-A), Military Advisory Team, Kabul Airport, Helmand, and other areas of operations. In total, approx. 5 thousand Lithuanian soldiers gained invaluable combat and other kinds of professional experience in Afghanistan in 2002–2021. They were thought of highly by the allies.
Information credits: Lithuanian Armed Forces
Photo credits: Sgt Spc 1st Class Ieva Budzeikaitė.
