The first part of the unit which will take part in the NATO enhanced Forward Presence mission is on its way.
The Patria combat armoured vehicles and other equipment of the Croatian Armed Forces from the 1st Croatian Contingent of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) initiative left Croatia on Saturday. Croatian Railways will transport them from Zagreb to Lithuania, reports Večernji List on November 26, 2017.
The equipment includes 13 armoured combat vehicles, one armoured ambulance vehicle, four trucks, one off-road truck, a field combat vehicle, an electricity generating unit, two off-road motor vehicles and 15 containers of additional equipment, announced the Public Relations and Publishing Department of the Ministry of Defence.
“Given that we are a mechanised infantry unit, this equipment is necessary for our everyday activities as part of the mission. We have 13 Patria combat armoured vehicles and one additional Patriot medical vehicle which will serve for the provision of medical care in the event that someone is wounded,” said the deputy commander of the 1st mechanised company of the 1st battalion of the Tigers brigade and a member of the 1st HRVCON Lieutenant Vedran Mandić. He pointed out that the equipment had been loaded by commanders and drivers who were specially trained to carry out such activities.
The transport of members of the Croatian Armed Forces and armoured vehicles has been organised and implemented by the Support Command, and all armoured combat vehicles and other equipment are transported in accordance with the applicable regulations related to the railway transportation.
The Armed Forces have proved their willingness to participate in the NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) activities which, in addition to being outside the territory of the Republic of Croatia, are with their scope and intensity one of the most significant logistical challenges for the Croatian Army so far.
As part of the NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence initiative in the Republic of Lithuania, 181 members of the Croatian Armed Forces will take part in the 1st Croatian Contingent within a combat group led by Germany. The majority of the soldiers are members of a mechanised company from the 1st Mechanized Battalion of the Tigers Brigade of the Croatian Army.
Translated from Večernji List.
