The reconnaissance and liaison team of NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force travels to the Baltics

The Forward Liaison and Reconnaissance Team (FLRT) of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) travelled to the Baltic states on 29 May to carry out tactical and logistic reconnaissance in the three new NATO Force Integration Units (NFIUs) set up in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The NFIUs were devised at the Atlantic Council in Wales in September 2014 in order to funnel support to the Eastern states of the Alliance and deploy the VJTF there if needed.

The 10-strong FLRT of the Land Component HQ of the VJTF, based at the NATO HQ in Bétera (Valencia), travelled from the Polish town of Zagan to Tallinn to liaise with the Estonian NFIU as part of exercise Valiant Falcon 16. It subsequently travelled to the NFIUs in Latvia and Lithuania and finished its tour on 1 June.

The integration of the VJTF and the countries where it might be deployed is essential to ensure that the very short deadlines of projection and integration demanded of that multinational force will be met if the need arises.

Meeting in Estonia (Photo: CGTAD)