US deploys Patriot missile system in Lithuania for military drills
A Patriot surface-to-air missile system has been deployed in Lithuania in order to participate in NATO’s anti-air defense divisions’ Tobruq Legacy 2017 international exercises, Lithuania’s Ministry of Defense reported.
“The deployment of a Patriot demonstrates the firmness of the United States’ commitment to ensuring Lithuania’s security, and the high level of readiness to promptly relocate strategic forces to the region,” the department observed.
During the Tobruq Legacy exercises which will take place between the 11th and the 22nd of July, the ground anti-air defense divisions of NATO allies will work on cooperation and refine command and control procedures.
“In this way the participants in the maneuvers will test their readiness for possible collective defense scenarios,” the military department stated.
The drills will be held simultaneously in Lithuania, Romania and the Czech Republic. In Lithuania the exercises will involve roughly 500 military personnel and 30 anti-air defense systems from Great Britain, Latvia, Poland and the US.