Royal Danish Embassy T. Kosciuskos 36, LT-01100 Vilnius Tel: +370 (5) 264 8768 Mob: +370 6995 7760 The Defence Attaché To Fax: +370 (5) 231 2300 Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania Newsletter for the Baltics Week 44 2017 The following information is gathered from usually reliable and open sources, mainly from the Baltic News Service (BNS), respective defence ministries press releases and websites as well as various newspapers, etc. Table of contents THE BALTICS AND RUSSIA .................................................................................................................. 3 NATO military aircraft scrambled twice last week over Russian military aircraft ....................... 3 Russian warships and aircraft spotted near Latvian borders ....................................................... 3 THE BALTICS AND EXERCISE .............................................................................................................. 3 Siil 2018 exercise to bring together over 13,000 soldiers from 13 countries ............................... 3 Estonian conscripts of Kuperjanov infantry battalion to participate in exercise in Latvia ......... 4 US general observes Iron Wolf II exercise in Lithuania ................................................................ 4 LITHUANIA .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Lithuania plans to raise military salaries ........................................................................................ 4 Several hundred Lithuanian troops leave for multinational exercise in Germany ...................... 5 US General: US stops rotating troops in Lithuania but continues sending them to drills .......... 5 Latvian and Lithuanian officials agrees on the vitally of presence of US troops in the region .. 5 Another seven US military aircraft land at Lithuania’s Siauliai military air base ......................... 6 Lithuanian army to set up artillery battalion in Silale district ....................................................... 6 LATVIA ................................................................................................................................................. 6 Parliament supports restricting activities of associations if they are seen as threatening ........ 6 National Armed Forces to supply border guard with Glock 17 pistols ......................................... 6 Kalnins: It is not yet clear whether Russian military units have left Belarus ............................... 7 Another unit of US troops rotated to Latvia ................................................................................. 7 Kucinskis: Zapad manoeuvres cannot be regarded separately from today’s security situation 7 No more quick spending boosts for Latvia’s military ................................................................... 8 Latvian Chief of Defence met his Canadian counterpart to discuss future cooperation ........... 8 Over 2,000 Home Guard soldiers participated in field training cycle Mazais Namejs 2017 ........ 8 New secret military mobilisation plan prepared ........................................................................... 9 ESTONIA .............................................................................................................................................. 9 Forward observers, British aircraft rehearse cooperation with battle group ............................. 9 Up to 106 Estonian defence personnel to be deployed to missions in 2018 ............................. 10 Estonian peacekeepers to polish their training in Finland before heading to Lebanon ........... 10 British aircraft to practice cooperation with NATO battle group in Estonia ............................. 10 Luik: It should be clear to everyone that attacking Estonia makes no sense ............................ 11 Royal Welsh start serving in Estonia as part of NATO battle group ........................................... 11 German Navy’s Mine Countermeasures Squadron visits Tallinn ................................................. 11 Estonia planning to swap some SAC airlift program hours in 2017 ............................................. 12 2 THE BALTICS AND RUSSIA NATO military aircraft scrambled twice last week over Russian military aircraft NATO military aircraft serving in the Baltic air-policing mission were last week scrambled twice from Lithuania to intercept Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea. Both times, on 25 October and 27 October, the NATO military aircraft accompanied transport airplanes An-26 flying in the international airspace above the Baltic Sea that had their on-board transponders off but had pre-filed flight plans and maintained contact with air traffic controllers. During the same scramble on 27 October, the aircraft intercepted a transport airplane An-72 with a pre- filed flight plan, activated transponder and radio communication with the regional flight control center. Russian warships and aircraft spotted near Latvian borders On 29 October, a Sura class Kilektor 1 mooring/buoy tender was spotted in Latvia’s exclusive economic zone, 14 nautical miles from the shore and on 28 October Latvian National Armed Forces detected the sea tug Viktor Konetsky 16 nautical miles from the shore. On the same date, military aircraft policing Baltic airspace detected a Russian An-27 flying over the Baltic Sea near Latvian waters. THE BALTICS AND EXERCISE Siil 2018 exercise to bring together over 13,000 soldiers from 13 countries In all over 13,000 soldiers from 13 countries are to take part in the Siil 2018 (Hedgehog 2018) exercise to be held in South Estonia in the first half of next May. While the two-week exercise starting on May 2, 2018 will take place in the territory of all of Estonia, the focus of activity will be on the Viljandi, Tartu, Valga, Polva and Voru counties. Altogether more than 13,000 members of the defence forces, Kaitseliit (Defence League) volunteers, reservists, allied and partner soldiers from 13 nations will take part in the exercise. During the exercise, both the combat-readiness of the units of the defence forces will be evaluated and performance of combat tasks and cooperation between Kaitseliit and units of the defence forces rehearsed. The training exercise will be divided into three phases: a combat readiness phase lasting until 4 May; an interoperability training, mortar and antitank live-fire exercise phase from 5-7 May; and a phase of training battles from 8-12 May. During the latter, the 2nd Infantry Brigade in conjunction with units from Germany, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and the United States will rehearse action against the mock enemy forces made up of the 1st Infantry Brigade and the NATO Battle Group. 3 Estonian conscripts of Kuperjanov infantry battalion to participate in exercise in Latvia On 27 October, an infantry platoon consisting of the conscripts of the Estonian 2nd Infantry Brigade’s Kuperjanov infantry battalion participated in the military exercise Sword in Aluksne, Latvia over the weekend. The exercise was organized by the 3rd Brigade of the Latvian volunteer defence corps Home Guard (Zemessardze) and the Estonian infantry platoon is to also operate as part of the brigade during the exercise. The exercise is to focus on defence activities and practicing multi-level command. Participants are to practice interoperability with international as well as Zemessardze’s units and other territorial defence units. US general observes Iron Wolf II exercise in Lithuania On 27 October, Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, outgoing commander of the US Army Europe, arrived in the General Silvestras Zukauskas Training Area on Saturday to observe international exercise Iron Wolf II. The drills are attended by about 130 US troops who came from Poland. During the visit, the US general also discussed operations of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group in Lithuania and the international exercises planned for next year, according to the Defence Ministry. “The German leadership over the international battalion is exactly what we need,” Hodges said in the press release. Hodges met with the Lithuanian Land Forces Commander Brigadier General Valdemaras Rupsys, the German army’s Land Forces Deputy Commander Lieutenant General Carsten Jacobsen and Mechanized Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf Colonel Mindaugas Steponavicius. According to the press release, all officers emphasized the successful integration of the international battle group in the Iron Wolf brigade and efficient combat readiness. LITHUANIA Lithuania plans to raise military salaries On 2 November, the Lithuanian government announced its plans to increase military salaries by 30-percent by the end of 2020 compared to 2016. The increase in salaries is budgeted to cost over 88 million euros over the next three years, according to a draft budget approved by the Cabinet. Salaries for the military personnel were raised by 5 percent last month. A private currently earns 555 euros per month after taxes. A sergeant is paid 714 euros and a captain earns 1,022 euros. In addition each member of the military service receives 240 euros in monthly meal allowances. Military salaries will be raised in two stages: by 15 percent in 2017- 2018 and by another 15 percent in 2019-2020. The draft budget earmarks 8 million euros for increasing military salaries next year, 39 million euros in 2019 and 41 million euros in 2020. 4 Several hundred Lithuanian troops leave for multinational exercise