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U.S. soldiers arrive in Lithuania for training exercises

Xinhua, July 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

Roughly 80 soldiers from the U.S. Army division deployed in Germany arrived in Lithuania on Wednesday to attend a week of military trainings and joint exercises with local soldiers.

The trainings are aimed at familiarizing the U.S. soldiers with the specifics and geography of Lithuania's regions, exchange experience, and hone interoperability with Lithuanian Land Force, according to the Lithuanian defense ministry.

Colonel Dalius Polekauskas, chief of staff of the Lithuanian Land Force, said the trainings would help planning and coordinating joint operations in the future.

The mission is part of the larger U.S.-led Atlantic Resolve in the Baltic States and Poland being conducted as a response to rising security threats in the Eastern Europe region.

The deployment follows recent visits of the U.S. high profile defense officials. Thomas Ross, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for security cooperation, met with Juozas Olekas, Lithuania's defense minister, on Monday and underlined the U.S. interest in boosting cooperation with Lithuania in the field of logistics and cyber security, revealed the Lithuanian defense ministry.

Meanwhile, the Lithuanian army received pledge from U.S. General Philip M. Breedlove, the NATO commander of the U.S. European Command, make sure training in Eastern Europe take place "without major intervals," reported BNS news agency on Wednesday.

Breedlove, who is also a NATO supreme commander, visited Lithuania in mid-June to discuss security issues in Eastern Europe and assess how defense commitments from NATO allies were being practically implemented in Lithuania.

A day after Lithuania and the United States agreed on the U.S. military presence in Lithuania and investments into Lithuanian defense infrastructure.

Baltic states have faced increased security risks next to their borders since the conflict in eastern Ukraine emerged a year ago. Endit