Lithuanian president confident with allied military readiness

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite expressed her confidence that NATO allies were ready to ensure alliance members' security, when visiting the site of the international military exercise in Lithuania, Iron Wolf 2016, on Thursday.

The head of the Baltic state watched Lithuanian and allied NATO troops conduct combat operations, planning, unit control, reconnaissance and defense training.

Grybauskaite commented that an exercise of such a scale reflected that Lithuanian troops were capable of cooperating with NATO partners.

"It's very important for Lithuania that our conscripts are successfully attending the exercise and actively engaging in defense of the homeland," said the president.

The country reintroduced mandatory military service and stepped up military training two years ago.

Iron Wolf 2016 is a part of the broader allied military training in the Baltic states, Saber Strike 2016, which was attended by 10,000 troops from 13 allied countries. Saber Strike 2016 is the largest military training in the Baltic countries during their NATO membership.

Military exercises in the Baltic states and Poland are the main security and defense measures in the eastern flank of NATO, according to the president's office.

Earlier on Thursday, the Lithuanian president commented on NATO defense ministers' agreement to send four multinational battalions to the Baltic states and Poland, saying that the deployment would have a deterrence function.

According to BNS news agency, battalions of up to 1,000 each unit are to be deployed in the Baltic countries in 2017. Endit