Airmen from the 69th rotation of the Vilkas detachment bid farewell to Lithuania

•  Following the handover ceremony with the 70th contingent, the soldiers of the 11th Wing of the Air and Space Force return home after four months of intense work protecting NATO airspace

 Following the handover ceremony with the 70th contingent, the soldiers of the 11th Wing of the Air and Space Force return home after four months of intense work protecting NATO airspace

 The Šiauliai Air Base (Lithuania) hosted the handover between contingents 69 and 70 of the Air Tactical Detachment (DAT) ‘Vilkas’ of the Air and Space Force. On this occasion, Colonel Gonzalo Fernández González, from the Operations Command, was the highest-ranking Spanish military representative at this military ceremony.

During the ceremony, Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Holgado del Águila handed over the baton to Lieutenant Colonel Fernando García Allén; although it will not be until December 1 that Wing 15—the base unit of Block 70 of the Baltic Air Policing (BAP)—will assume responsibility for leading NATO's contribution to the protection of airspace on its eastern flank.

In addition, at this same military ceremony, the head of the Hungarian detachment, Lieutenant Colonel Péter Tőšér, handed over the baton of the BAP mission to Lieutenant Colonel Garcia Allén, who will now lead this NATO operation in Lithuania.

The ceremony was attended by Spanish and international civil and military authorities. Among others, those present included the Lithuanian Deputy Minister of National Defense, Tomas Godliauskas; the Spanish Ambassador, Fernando Fernández-Aguayo Muñoz; the Hungarian Ambassador, Jánoš Bėreš; the commander of the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) in Uedem, Lieutenant General Thorsten Poschwatta; and the Chief of Staff of the Lithuanian Air Force, Colonel Dainius Paškevičius. In their speeches, they all acknowledged the great work of the Hungarian and Spanish air detachments, as well as expressing their best wishes to the Spanish contingent that is now taking over the leadership of the NATO mission.

In his speech, Lieutenant Colonel Holgado—who was decorated by Lithuania, along with other Spanish military personnel—expressed his gratitude for the support and attention of the host country, “which has made us feel at home,” and also of his Hungarian colleagues, who “have treated us with exemplary kindness and cooperation.” In addition, and in conclusion, he stressed that, looking back on this period of deployment, “I recognize that I am very satisfied with all my personnel, who have done an exceptional job in achieving our objectives (...) and offering the high level of professionalism that our allies deserve.” For his part, Lieutenant Colonel Garcia Allén stressed that “the Spanish Armed Forces are a modern, professional, and highly trained force, fully capable of executing complex missions in a wide range of operational environments,” while calling on all those involved in this allied operation to maintain their spirit of cooperation so that “our teams operate as a single, cohesive unit and provide the highest level of service.”

eAP 69: An intense and effective deployment

After four months of activation of the Baltic Air Policing reinforcement mission—eAP-69—the results of this detachment, which was activated on August 1, have been highly positive. In total, 21 air policing missions (known as Alfa Scramble) have been carried out in the Baltic republics' area of operation as part of the eAP mission, in addition to two missions within Operation Eastern Sentinel.

In addition, there have been 35 training activations—known as Tango Scrambles—whose main objective was to ensure that the alert system responds in accordance with the required reaction times. All of these activations, both real and training, were ordered and directed by the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) in Uedem, Germany.

On the other hand, the ten C16 Eurofighters that make up the eAP 69 contingent have participated in various NATO force integration activities, including the Furious Wolf and Ramstein Alloy exercises, as well as Operation Vilkas, a personnel recovery drill involving various capabilities from Spain, Lithuania, Hungary, and NATO's NAEW force. In addition, since August 15, the fighters have been supported by the TK.23 tanker aircraft from Wing 31, which has increased the flight range of the C16s thanks to its in-flight refueling capability.

‘Vilkas’ with Lithuanian society

In addition to its operational activities, since the beginning of its deployment, the 69th contingent of DAT Vilkas has carried out numerous activities with Lithuanian civil and military society, as well as with the Spanish community residing in Lithuania. These encounters have strengthened ties between the two countries and demonstrated Spain's firm commitment to NATO's projection of stability throughout its territory.

Among the most recent activities, on November 25, a cross from Contingent 69 was placed on the famous Hill of Crosses in Šiauliai: a tradition that expresses gratitude for the air mission having been completed effectively and without casualties. On that day, in front of the cross of the BAP-65 rotation of DAT Vilkas (March-July 2024), tribute was paid to its commander, Colonel Pablo Estrada Martín, who died in the line of duty in Spain in October 2024. In his memory, Lieutenant Colonel Holgado said a few words and laid a bouquet of flowers in front of the cross that Colonel Estrada himself had placed on this hill.

On the same day, a visit was made to the Šiauliai Balloons Association, which supports various local groups of vulnerable people with different disabilities. The DAT ‘Vilkas’ has been collaborating with this association since October and, as a farewell gesture, presented a voluntary donation from the airmen to support its activities. They also took advantage of the visit to purchase handicrafts and pastries made by the association.

In the coming days, the new BAP 70 contingent will complete the deployment of its F18 fighters, while the TK.23 aircraft will remain in Lithuania, but with a new crew from Wing 31.