In the eastern part of the Republic of Mali, in the province of Gao, the 13th Force Protection Unit, operating as part of the German contingent, became the last shift as the German contingent ends its participation in the international operation, which will end at the end of this year. The returned soldiers were welcomed by the commander of Rinktinė, col. Lt. Tomas Stankevičius and Rinktinė chief non-commissioned officer vrš. Arunas Buchys.
The first shift platoon of the Force Protection Unit, formed on the basis of volunteer soldiers of the National Guard, began serving in this operation in October 2017 – the protection unit of the German contingent then also consisted of soldiers from the 6th National Guard of the Resurrection District.
During the six years of the international operation, MINUSMA included more than 500 soldiers who rotated every 6 months, gained international experience, trained and conducted real force protection operations in the area.
According to the mandate given by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, the Lithuanian army is still active in 9 international operations, in which more than 60 soldiers from various units of the Lithuanian army are currently serving. Serving in such operations creates conditions not only for training to work with partners and allies in an international environment, but also allows you to expand your knowledge and skills while preparing to defend Lithuania.
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