Poland and Lithuania have begun joint military exercises to test their readiness to defend the Suwałki Gap, a strategically important stretch of land along their shared border that sits between Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Military personnel from the US and Portugal are also taking part.
The exercises, dubbed Brave Griffin 24/II, began on Sunday around the towns of Druskininkai, Alytus and Varėna on the Lithuanian side of the border. Over 1,500 troops and 200 units of military equipment are involved, announced Lithuania’s armed forces.
The joint 🇱🇹 and 🇵🇱 international exercise #BraveGriffin has begun.
more than 1,500 soldiers and 200 units of military equipment, according to the bilateral "Orsha" plan of 🇱🇹 and 🇵🇱 will practice a defense scenario near to the #SuwalkiCorridorwitamy na Litwie! 🙋🏻♀️
📷🇵🇱 pic.twitter.com/udbcxKrwOE
— Lithuanian_Armed_Forces (@LTU_Army) April 21, 2024
The manoeuvres will last a week and will test a defence scenario based on Poland and Lithania’s so-called “Orsha” plan to defend the Suwałki Gap, which is seen as a potential chokepoint in a war with Russia. The exercises will be observed by the two countries’ presidents, Andrzej Duda and Gitanas Nausėda.
“All the exercises will be realistic” and “the visibility of the army in Lithuania will be huge” this week, announced the chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, General Valdemaras Rupšys, quoted by Polsat News.
“It will not be a rehearsal, but a testing of operational plans, the deployment of strategic operational command, as we would do during real preparation for an armed conflict,” he added.
The manoeuvres are part of NATO’s broader Steadfast Defender exercises, the alliance’s largest since the end of the Cold War, involving 90,000 troops from all 32 NATO member states. Those were launched in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It is a clear signal of the strong determination and commitment of [NATO] alliance members to mutual defence,” said Lithuania’s armed forces, quoted by broadcaster RMF.
Around 20,000 troops from nine countries are taking part in NATO's #Dragon24 exercises in Poland as part of #SteadfastDefender24.
They are testing the alliance’s deterrence and defence capabilities, including around the Suwałki Gap, a strategic chokepoint https://t.co/rfLecknIDp
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) March 5, 2024
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Main image credit: Lithuanian Armed Forces/X
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
