Lithuanian soldier returns home after mission in Kosovo

Staff Sergeant Tomas Savickas carried out his tour of duty that began in June at the Joint Logistic Support Group Headquarters in Pristina. His successor in the position left for Kosovo in early September, the Ministry of National Defence said.

The soldier serving with the Lithuanian Movement Control Centre was responsible for arrangement and control of transportation of KFOR personnel and cargo at Prishtina International Airport and via Kosovar railways along with KFOR military personnel from other countries. One of the Lithuanian representative’s tasks in KFOR area of responsibility was to update information on road condition, which involved estimation of the condition of roads in Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and of an air and seaport in Greece. Along with that the Lithuanian soldier was tasked to draw each redeployment of KFOR personnel into a database, to prepare statistics, to submit logistic and other types of reports to KFOR command in Naples (Italy).

Lithuanian military have been involved in KFOR since Lithuania’s decision to renew contributions to the multinational NATO-led operation in Kosovo in late 2012. One Lithuania’s military movement control specialist is deployed to KFOR on a three-month rotating basis.

Lithuanian soldiers are completing tasks in Kosovo side by side with colleagues from 10 more allies: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, USA, UK, Croatia, Canada, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.

NATO operation in Kosovo is aimed at ensuring security and freedom of movement. KFOR is also providing support to Kosovar institutions and international civilian staff. The operation that was launched on 12 June 1999 now includes personnel from 30 countries.

This year the Logistic Command of the Lithuanian Armed Forces is in the lead of the NATO Movement Control Multinational Integrated Logistic Unit (Mov Con MILU) tasked with maintaining readiness to deploy into an area of operations together with forces of NATO allies.

Lithuanian soldiers are taking part in KFOR under the mandate of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania for 2014-2015 which allows for deployment of up to 5 Lithuanian military to KFOR.