Lithuania Kicks off NATO Eastern Flank Exercises
Lithuania’s Armed Forces have launched international field training exercises amid the ongoing conflict on NATO’s eastern flank.
The events will include approximately 8,000 local and allied troops, more than a thousand tactical vehicles, as well as several dozen aircraft, ships, and military equipment.
Primary activities in the exercise will focus on the planning and execution of defensive and offensive operations on varied levels.
Vilnius noted that some of the practice sessions will be visible to local residents.
Lithuania’s maneuvers will be supported by the German Air Force, which will station 30 helicopters consisting of Tigers, CH-53 Sea Stallions, NH90s, and EC135s at exercise sites and in border areas.
“An abundant Lithuanian and Allied force across land, air and sea domains will train in Lithuania in May,” Lithuanian Chief of Defence Gen. Raimundas Vaikšnoras stated.
“It is one of the major joint training cycles in our country whose scale not just demonstrates the readiness of our Allies and us to act together but also sends a clear message about our unity and determination to defend every inch of NATO territory.”
Month-Long Preparations
The Baltic state noted that the May exercises will include Iron Wolf 2025, Swift Response 2025, Strong Shield 5, and Thunder Fortress 2025 among others, which will each tackle specific strategies of the Lithuanian military and its partners to secure the eastern flank and its nearby regions.
About 3,700 troops and 700 vehicles of Iron Wolf 2025 will come from the Lithuanian Army’s Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf, which is a core mechanized unit of the force based in Rukla, and its members attached to the NATO Multinational Battlegroup.
Swift Response 2025 will begin in mid-May with an airborne attack simulation of the US Air Force 173rd Air Assault Brigade, and will involve airlift rehearsals of 1,700 US troops from France and Italy.
In between the two first exercises is Strong Shield 5, which will be supervised by the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Force and joined by 1,000 soldiers from Lithuania, Latvia, and Portugal. It will dissect effective approaches to interoperability between major and support units deployed in the same area of responsibility.
Concurrently, Thunder Fortress will relay lessons on issued operational orders based on real-life plans of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. It will culminate in Thunder Strike, which will test the collective lessons and tactical maneuvers of allied forces in different locations in Lithuania.
Emergency, Anti-Mine, Aerial Live Fire, and HIMARS Exercises
Meanwhile, Storm Defence will be conducted in Klaipėda and Neringa, and will focus on port functions in crises and emergencies together with the Lithuanian Harbor Protection and Coastal Defence Service, Portuguese specialists, and other organizations.
Until May 23, 13 ships and explosive ordnance device divers from 14 allies will be at Open Spirit/EODEX in Klaipėda to practice minehunting and neutralization tasks, while Amber Arrow will see the Lithuanian Air Force Air Defence Battalion train live fire against airborne targets.
All of the events will be concluded through a final exercise involving HIMARS air defense systems of the Lithuanian and US Armies.
