Lithuania is preparing for the largest artillery exercise in the history of its independence. We are talking about the exercises "Fire Barrage 2016", which will be held in the summer. One of the formations that has already begun active training is the Romualdas Gedraitis (Rukla) Artillery Battalion, which is commanded by no less than Lieutenant General (!) Of the Lithuanian Armed Forces (Aushrius Buykus).
According to Lieutenant General Buikus, for the first time, Lithuanian servicemen will fire from German Panzerhaubitze and not only. In total, eight howitzers will be used during the exercise. General Buikus noted that four of them will be provided for the duration of the exercises by the military personnel of the Bundeswehr (Germany). The other four self-propelled howitzers are like "Lithuanian" ones. They were acquired by the country's Ministry of Defense, and the first units of this kind of weapons will arrive in the country in May.
The commander of the Lithuanian artillery battalion, referred to by the Baltic portal BNS, also said that for the first time in a long time, conscripts would be allowed to engage in live firing.
It is worth recalling that conscription into the Lithuanian army was resumed on the initiative of Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, and conscription service lasts 9 months. Moreover, if in the first "draft session" in Lithuania there was an influx of volunteers aged 19 to 26 years (such are the limits of the draft age in the Republic of Lithuania), then with each new draft wave, there are more and more problems. Volunteers quickly "ran out", and given the fact that the planned number of conscripts is increasing, the percentage of absenteeism on the summons is growing at a significant rate. The most common reason for not appearing on a summons is the absence of a young man at his place of residence. Relatives answer: he is caring, they say, for an elderly great-aunt somewhere near Warsaw - she cannot come, he will not leave grandma alone …
Lithuanian public organizations publish reports that every third Lithuanian young person who has received an education tries to go abroad in search of work. And if while the plan of the call is being fulfilled, then with each new stage the process becomes more and more complicated.
However, about the teachings …
One of the directions of the exercises is the suppression of the artillery batteries of the imaginary enemy. For this, it is planned to use (according to the Lithuanian battalion commander in the general rank) 105-mm guns, firing from which will be conducted at a distance of up to 11 km, as well as 155-mm PzH2000 with a firing range of up to 40 km.
In total, Lithuania purchases 16 artillery mounts from Germany, three of them immediately for spare parts. The supplement from General Buikus about spare parts eloquently testifies to what kind of equipment comes to Lithuania.
In addition, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense plans to buy 26 used M577 command and staff vehicles and six also used BPz-2 armored recovery vehicles (ARVs) from NATO “partners”. The beginning of the creation of this technique dates back to the 60s of the last century. And there is technology and even earlier production.
Lithuania, as a state whose budget currently spends the least amount of money (in comparison with NATO “partners”), is doing its best to bring its military spending to the NATO standard - 2%. And therefore, he does not hesitate to buy and outright scrap metal, which other countries of the North Atlantic Alliance are not without pleasure sending to Lithuania, whose authorities live from one speech about "probable Russian aggression" to another.
In this regard, Lithuania, and other Baltic countries, for NATO "partners" are turning into an ideal site for the disposal (and also for the Baltic funds) of armored junk. And so that the "three Baltic tigers" buy used "used" military equipment (often for 30-40 years) more actively, new and new variants of training maneuvers are being developed at NATO headquarters.
The principle is simple and clear: a document is “dropped” in Vilnius, which says that, for example, large-scale artillery exercises are coming along the NATO line - they say, counteraction to Russian “aggression”, all that … that, in fact, the artillery is at his disposal. Remembers the battalion. named after Romualdas Giedraitis. While I was remembering, another directive came from NATO - give, you know, self-propelled howitzers and evacuation vehicles, because they must be involved in maneuvers. - Where can I get you these self-propelled howitzers? - the Minister of the Lithuanian Defense is killed. - It doesn't matter, they answer in Washington, Berlin and Brussels - buy from us. If there is no new money, then we will sell excellent, but in some places "second-hand" equipment - the soldiers will clean up, tint, it will look like new … Look, it will even shoot a couple of times …
In addition to the Lithuanian military personnel, military personnel from the USA, Portugal, Germany, Latvia and even Ukraine will take part in the Fire Salvo 2016 exercise.
It is reported that not only artillery units will be involved in the exercises, but also servicemen of other types and branches of the Lithuanian troops. Preparations for the exercises are going on at several Lithuanian training grounds.
This is how they live … They will buy several German or American howitzers and armored vehicles. They shoot from artillery pieces, unless, of course, they jam. They will disassemble two in order to assemble one - and in an instant they will make a report on the "global counteraction to Russia."
Meanwhile, at NATO headquarters, a new plan is also ripening in order to get the Balts to buy North Atlantic military junk. The new plan is another "large-scale" exercise, for example, with a naval component. And the same Dala Grybauskaite, together with the ministers, will have to fork out for German or British boats, without which, as they say in NATO, the exercises will not be recognized as successful. They will buy five boats, of which three are again for spare parts, so that the other two do not go to the bottom of the Baltic …
It seems that soon in the Baltics it will be necessary to prepare a landfill, which is not small in size, for storing ferrous metal - equipment that was bought from "partners" in NATO, and which, having fired twice, ordered to live a long time. The landfill is specifically for storage, after all, they could have melted down, letting it go to a new one, but where is that Baltic industry? create a battalion (well, the same Romualdas Gedraitis), appoint an entire general to the battalion commander and supply the formation with NATO rusting ferrous metal, so that conscripts have something to take selfies against.
