At the end of January, a new group of of Dutch soldiers arrived in Lithuania, the 19th rotation since February 2017, when the Netherlands began providing soldiers for the multinational battlegroup. They have CV90 infantry fighting vehicles, Fennek reconnaissance vehicles, Manticore off-road vehicles and Scania transport systems. This material arrived in Kaunas by train.
In Lithuania, the Dutch soldiers underwent a changing of the guard.
Unloading the material is a precision job that requires caution. The temperature dropping to minus ten degrees posed an additional challenge. In addition to the freezing cold, the conditions also presented the workers with black ice. Thanks to the use of salt, the unloading of the trains was nevertheless able to proceed as planned.
Changing of the guard in Lithuania.
The Dutch Ministry of Defense is currently contributing around 270 soldiers to the forward presence of NATO in Lithuania. The focus of this multinational battle group is on deterring Russia. The aim is to prevent the country from taking aggressive action. Another main objective is to reassure the population through the presence of the troops.
Here for more news about the Dutch armed forces.