LITHUANIAN TROOPS DEPLOY TO FIGHT PIRACY OFF THE COAST OF SOMALIA
On 18 July Lithuanian military were formally deployed to the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia - Operation ATALANTA, counter-piracy and armed robbery at sea efforts off the coast of Somalia. The largest European Union-led military operation was launched late in 2008 in response to the rising levels of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia. Warships deployed on EU NAVFOR escort WFP ships delivering aid to the Somali people, deter and apprehend pirates and armed robbers in the area of operation, complete monitoring of fishing activity, and conduct other tasks in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
The Lithuanian National Support Element will be deployed to Djibouti (East Africa) to conduct service along with the logistic component of Operation ATALANTA. The NSE-A will be in charge of organising and coordinating logistic support to the Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment (AVPD) and procurement of necessary items and services, from food and water to accommodation. The Lithuanian unit is planned to take part in the EU NAVFOR Somalia till the end of this year.
“We are the first to deploy, so inevitably we will be faced with lack of specific experience, cultural differences, and ultimately - unusual climatic conditions. Despite of that, we are travelling in a good mood, our training for the mission that had been running from the beginning of March has not passed in vain. We are absolutely ready to assist our colleagues from the AVPD,” said NSE-A Commander Captain D. Dilys.
The NSE-A comprises 18 troops: the first two of them, Captain D. Dilys and Captain A. Savičius, were deployed to the mission a month prior to their colleagues. Their duty will be to prepare for accepting the AVPD loads and troops.
One Lithuanian naval staff officer has been posted to EU NAVFOR - Operation ATALANTA Operational Headquarters in Northwood (UK) since early 2011. Lithuania will also deploy an officer to serve in a Dutch command ship from this August.
Currently, 23 EU and 3 non-EU member states are contributing the up to 2 thousand mission personnel.
Please see Ministry of Defense website for more information.
