On August 7 Defence Attaché of the Netherlands to Lithuania Lt Col Benedictus Rijnenberg whose term in office had ended was farewelled and incoming Defence Attaché Lt Col Laine den Hollander was accredited at a ceremony at the Ministry of National Defence.
Vice Minister of National Defence Eimutis Misiūnas presented Lt Col Benedictus Rijnenberg with the National Defence System Medal of Merit for his personal contribution to the efforts to build on the cooperation between the Armed Forces of Lithuania and the Netherlands.
“The significant contribution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group is very important to Lithuania and the region. The Netherlands sends a clear message of allied unity and will to defend with its participation in the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states and the NATO Force Integration Unit,” Vice Minister E. Misiūnas said.
The incoming Defence Attaché to Lithuania, Lt Col Laine den Hollander was a chief staff officer working on NATO and UN affairs at the Civil-Military Cooperation Centre of Excellence in the Netherlands. The officer has experience of work in Lithuania: he had shared expertise in drawing up and implementing different course programmes for the Gen Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania. Lt Col Laine den Hollande has experience from missions in Israel, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Iraq, Cambodia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Active bilateral defence cooperation of Lithuania and the Netherlands has particularly intensified in the recent years. Dutch personnel contributions to the NAO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group is defined as one of the country’s national defence elements. The Netherlands is annually deploying approx. 250 soldiers with combat support and supply to the German-led NATO unit.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands also has soldiers serving with the NATO Force Integration Unit inaugurated in Vilnius in mid-2015. It is responsible for facilitating deployment of NATO allies into Lithuania, organising exercises for allied forces deployed here, and for ensuring communication between them and NATO operational headquarters.
The Royal Netherlands Navy is taking part in mine countermeasures exercise in the Baltic Sea alongside other allies on a regular basis. Lithuanian soldiers with the Air Defence Battalion are able to with modern equipment in the Netherlands train free of charge.
Also, a Dutch Air Force Detachment was deployed in Šiauliai in 2017 last time and carried out the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states with four F-16s.
Lithuania and the Netherlands also cooperate in the framework of the European Union Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). The Netherlands joined the Lithuanian-led EU cyber response teams and mutual assistance in cyber security area project.
Bilateral cooperation between the two countries is also developed in military procurement area. The Lithuanian Armed Forces bought and continues buying used military vehicles and other equipment of different modifications from the Netherlands Armed Forces for our military carpool.
Photo credits: Giedrė Alkema/MoD
