The Netherlands has deployed its Patriot long-range air defence system in Lithuania for almost two weeks.
The system will be stationed from July 7 to 19 as Lithuania is for the first time hosting the Baltic Connection 24 (BALTCON24) exercise.
Troops and their equipment disembarked in the Klaipėda Port on Saturday morning and headed to the Lithuanian Air Force’s Šiauliai Air Base, from where they will carry out their tasks.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Ovidijus Pilitauskas, commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ Air Defence Battalion, the Dutch troops have arrived in Lithuania to train to implement the rotational air defence model, which will be integrated into the national and NATO air defence system.
“They will be able to test their system in Lithuania’s climate and terrain, and get accustomed to the conditions so that, if needed, they could arrive under real conditions,” Pilitauskas told journalists in Klaipėda.
“Our goal is to train together on NATO air defence procedures to pool our knowledge and play from the same sheet music,” he added.
Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas posted X on Saturday that the deployment of the Patriot system for BALTCON24 “is a stepping stone for the implementation of NATO Air Defence Rotational Model and serves as a good example for allies to fully commit to implementing this initiative in this part of Europe”.
The exercise will involve the Lithuanian Air Force’s Air Defence Battalion with NASAMS medium-range air defence systems, the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s Patriot system, Spanish and Portuguese fighter jets carrying out NATO’s Baltic air policing mission, and the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ Air Operations Centre and Air Force aircraft.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces have said the exercise “will hone readiness to move forces and force integration, unified command and control, and execution of air defence operations”.
The Patriot system was previously deployed in Lithuania during the Vilnius NATO Summit in July 2023.
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