General Erhard Bühler visits enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup

Rukla, Lithuania - General Erhard Bühler, Commander Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, visited NATO's Eastern flank 11 and 12 March.

Travelling to Rukla, about 100 kilometres north-west of Vilnius, the General visited the German-led enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup based in Lithuania. The Battlegroup has a German Mechanized Infantry Battalion as its core; this is supported by units from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Iceland, the Netherlands and Norway.

General Bühler stressed that the deployment is defensive and measured.

The Commander also took the opportunity to meet with the Lithuanian Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Rupsys, for bilateral talks with regard to Lithuanian NATO engagement. Amongst other issues, topics touched upon included readiness, interoperability, coordination and coherence, in addition to process synchronization.

Finally, General Bühler’s itinerary included a visit to the NATO Force Integration Unit in Vilnius.