Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda visits 135 Expeditionary Air Wing at Siauliai Air Base
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LITHUANIAN President Gitanas Nausėda has visited 135 Expeditionary Air Wing, currently conducting a NATO air policing mission in the country, to thank them for their activities.
135 Expeditionary Air Wing are based at Siauliai Air Base in northern Lithuania.
President Nausėda, elected last year, was accompanied by Raimundas Karoblis, the minister of national defence, and Major General Gintautas Zenkevičius, chief of defence staff, on his visit.
The President and his party were first greeted by the base commander, Lieutenant Colonel Antanas Matutis of the Lithuanian Air Force, before being briefed on NATO air operations by Lieutenant Colonel Jesus Gutierrez Gallego, commanding the Spanish Air Force Detachment and Wing Commander Stu Gwinnutt, the RAF Detachment Commander.
President Nauseda said: “Lithuania appreciates very much what you are doing for us.
"We live so close to our neighbours and that creates a certain risk for us.
"The Baltic Air Policing Mission is a great example of NATO solidarity”
Wing Commander Gwinnutt said: “It is a great honour to host the president and very humbling that he has taken so much time to visit our operation here.
"He has been genuinely interested in our role, the aircraft and the morale of the personnel of 135 Expeditionary Air Wing.
"He asked how they were keeping in touch with family back home.”
During the visit, Wing Commander Gwinnutt and Lieutenant Colonel Beckmann, the German Air Force Detachment Commander, had the opportunity to show President Nausėda around the typhoon and eurofighter jets and explain further how the training together was working.
Lt Col Beckmann added: “This has been the highlight of the already extraordinary hospitality we have felt from the Lithuanian people during our short stay."
135 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) was formed around a detachment from RAF Lossiemouth based 6 Squadron RAF.
