MAGAZINE
SPRING 2021
LANDCOM Commander Builds AWARENESS IN :
By U . S . Army Major Brian ANDRIES , LANDCOM PAO Production Chief
LA TVIA
Warsaw -
NATO Allied Land Command commander U . S . Army Lieutenant General Roger Cloutier traveled to the Baltics for the first time from February 24 – March 4 , 2021 to meet with military leaders of Latvian , Lithuanian and Polish Armed Forces in order to build relationships with key leaders and understanding of training missions in the region .
While it was the first visit for the commander to the Baltics , it was also the first visit for any LANDCOM leader to Multinational Division North , a NATO command formally created in Latvia on March 8 , 2019 and activated October 21 , 2020 .
The eight-day battlefield circulation kicked off in Latvia at the Latvian Armed Forces Joint Headquarters near Riga with a formal briefing of friendly capabilities and challenges within and outside of the country . The discussion set the tone for rest of the trip that concluded with a meeting at Polish Ministry of National Defense in Warsaw , Poland with Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces General Rajmund T . Andrzejczak .
& LI THUANIA
Lieutenant General Cloutier observed and walked key terrain with leaders of all three nations to visualize the unique challenges each country faces in regards to deterrence objectives . “ I think this is critical because I now see the difference in terrain ,” Lieutenant General Cloutier said to the commander of Lithuania Land Forces Brigadier General Raimundas Vaikšnoras during a meeting . “ I appreciate where you come from and your focus on readiness every day .”
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