What was arranged at the meeting of ministers of defence of Lithuania and Poland?

On the 20^th of June, in Lithuania, the Polish Minister of National Defence Antoni Macierewicz observed joint military training exercises of the Lithuanian battalion combat group with the participation of the soldiers from Poland and nine other countries belonging to NATO.

The Polish Minister of National Defence Antoni Macierewicz and the Lithuanian Minister of Defence Raimundas Karoblis have discussed issues related to military cooperation and the command system of battalion combat groups.

The ministers agreed that:

1. The Polish 15^th Mechanised Brigade and the Lithuanian Brigade “Iron Wolves” which are responsible for battalion combat groups in Poland and in Lithuania respectively will be subordinated to the International Divisional Command (MDD) in the Polish city of Elbląg.
2. In the area of training, warnings and strategic communication, both brigades will cooperate with the International Divisional Command in Elbląg.
3. The issues of ongoing cooperation between the two brigades will be regulated in an appropriate agreement.
4. Polish Air Force will consider extending the Air Policing mission for September 2017, when the Russian military exercises Zapad-17 will be taking place.

Iron Wolf 2017 military exercises, which are held in Lithuania from the 12^th to the 23^rd of June, are the part of larger Saber Strike manoeuvres organized in the Baltic States and in Poland. Over 5,300 soldiers from ten countries take part in the military exercises, including those from the United States, Poland, Germany, Great Britain and Belgium.