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Lithuania begins Flaming Thunder 2016 military exercise

Xinhua, August 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

Military fire support unit exercise Flaming Thunder 2016 began in Lithuania on Monday amid the country's increased efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities.

Around 1,100 soldiers are to attend artillery and fire support training for 12 days in the small Baltic state. Lithuania's national exercise will be joined by German, Latvian, Portuguese and U.S. soldiers. According to the Lithuanian defense ministry, the exercise is to be attended by Ukrainian mortar operators.

It is the first time German, Latvian and Ukrainian troops will attend the military exercise, organized by Lithuania for the fourth year in a row.

The military exercise is to become the first test for Lithuania's newly acquired German 155 mm self-propelled howitzers PzH 2000 on the country's soil.

"On Aug. 2, Lithuanian armed forces will fire the first shots from the self-propelled PzH 2000 howitzers at home," said the country's defense ministry in a press release.

Last September, Lithuania decided to acquire 21 howitzers from the German army. The first two howitzers have been delivered to Lithuania in June, and the rest of the acquired equipment is expected to be shipped by 2019.

Lithuania has strengthened its defense capabilities, military training and asked for an increased military presence from the allies after tensions in the Eastern Europe erupted with conflicts in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Endit