Lithuanian lawmakers on Tuesday adopted a special resolution allowing up to 10,000 troops from other countries to take part in the international Exercise Baltic Operations 2024 (BALTOPS) to be held in June.
Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas, who submitted the bill to the Seimas last week, pointed out that, under the existing law, a special resolution is necessary, if the number of troops and civilian personnel arriving for an exercise in Lithuania exceeds 1,600.
Up to 10,000 troops and civil servants will be participating in the BALTOPS 2024 exercise, he added.
“It’s the biggest exercise we’ve ever had,” Kasčiūnas stressed.
The exercise is scheduled for June 4–21.
The exercise aims to train military forces from different countries and strengthen the military response capability to ensure freedom of navigation and security in the Baltic Sea.
It is planned that naval vessels with crews, additional personnel, and naval staff from the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, France, the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Belgium, Portugal, and Italy will arrive in Lithuania to take part in the exercise.
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