Over 100 Lithuanian troops off to US for exercise

VILNIUS - More than 100 soldiers from the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas Battalion have left for the United States to participate in an exercise, the military said on Monday.  

An infantry company with assigned units -- a total of 125 soldiers -- have departed for the US, Sergeant Irmantas Kovalenko, a public relations specialist with the battalion, told BNS.

The Lithuanian soldiers will join allied troops for the exercise at the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California.  

The soldiers have successfully deployed to the area of operation and are preparing for the active phase of the drill, which will take place on August 4 to 17, the military said.

The Lithuanian company will be involved in offense, defense and stabilization operations. 

The Algirdas battalion is a unit of the Iron Wolf Mechanized Infantry Brigade.