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Spanish military forces from the enhanced Forward Presence mission take part in exercise 'Eager Leopard' in Lithuania

Lithuania
September 24, 2021
  • A Spanish sapper platoon acts as an opposition force along with a US Army unit

The enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Tactical Group 'Latvia' has deployed three units in support of exercise 'Eager Leopard' developed in Lithuania. One of these participant units is the Spanish Sapper platoon, acting as an opposition force together with troops from the 3rd Battalion of the 66th Regiment of the US Army.

Exercise 'Eager Leopard', conducted from September 20 to 27, will be an opportunity for the units deployed in Lithuania to be prepared for exercise 'Iron Wolf', which will start next October and will prove the full integration of Battle Group 'Lithuania' with the Lithuanian brigade in which they are embedded.

The mission of Spanish sappers was to support US troops in mobility, counter-mobility and protection missions while acting as opponents of Battle Group 'Lithuania'. These drills, so called dual action exercises because of the opposing forces, are highly useful for the military units, as they help the troops become immersed in the exercise environment.

Along with the Spanish unit, a mechanized Italian platoon and a Polish battle tank platoon, also belonging to Battle Group 'Latvia', have deployed in Lithuania, but participating along with the units of the Battle Group 'Lithuania'.

NATO Battle Groups in the eFP mission in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland provide reliable and effective deterrence against any threat to our Baltic Allies, while guaranteeing their readiness to act in defence of these countries if necessary, showing the strong commitment to the Alliance.

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