Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania sign agreement for future LITPOLUKRBRIG joint brigade 22707153

Defence & Security News - Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine
 
Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania sign agreement for future LITPOLUKRBRUIG joint brigade
On July 24 a delegation headed by the Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Juozas Olekas paid a visit to Lviv, Ukraine. During the visit Minister of Defence of Poland Tomasz Semoniak and Minister of Defence of Ukraine Lieutenant General Stepan Poltorak and Minister J.Olekas met to sign a technical agreement on a joint military unit of the respective countries, the LITPOLUKRBRIG Brigade, and fundamentals of its command.
     
Poland Ukraine and Lithuania sign agreement for future LITPOLUKRBRUIG joint brigade 640 001
     
The technical agreement supplements and elaborates on the agreement of establishing the LITPOLUKRBRIG the defence Ministers of the three establishing countries endorsed in Warsaw last September.

The technical agreement stipulates that within 6 months after the signature of the document the LITPOLUKRBRIG command will have reached its initial operational capability, while within 12 months it will be fully capable of commanding the unit. The capacity of the LITPOLUKRBRIG command will then need to be approved by international certification.

The brigade commander, his deputy and the chief of staff will be assigned by Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine for a period of three years on a rotating basis.

The establishing states will delegate representatives to form a LITPOLUKRBRIG Coordination Group which will be tasked with approving the brigade’s budget-related, or other finance, training, exercises and logistics-related planning, and with supervision of the command’s work.

While in Lviv, Minister of National Defence and his delegation also observed Exercise Rapid Trident in Yavoriv district of Lviv region. It is an exercise the U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) organises in Ukraine on an annual basis. This year a contingent formed by the Grand Duchess Birute Battalion is taking part in the exercise, also involving 17 other NATO allies and partner nations, on Lithuania’s behalf. Commander of the Lithuanian Land Force Major General Almatnas Leika will paid a visit to Exercise Rapid Trident.

The Battalion will also form the core of the Lithuanian contingent to be assigned to the trilateral LITPOLUKRBRIG Brigade.