According to the press release, the plans were communicated to Defense Minister Juozas Olekas by the new US Ambassador to Lithuania Deborah A. McCarthy during a meeting on Tuesday.
"Lithuanian soldiers serving in Afghanistan will receive communication equipment, night vision devices, unmanned aircrafts and other military equipment, in addition to a training. Once the operation in Afghanistan is over, the equipment will remain with the Lithuanian army and be used for national objectives," the ministry said in a press release.
The US aid will total 8.6 million US dollars.
"I am delighted to be able to announce this action together with the minister of defense, as just one more illustration of the great partnership and friendship between our nations. Without the remarkable efforts of Lithuania over the past decade, we would not have been able to succeed in restoring security and stability to the Ghor Province of Afghanistan, and so we thank the government and the people of Lithuania for their sacrifices toward that goal," the ministry cited the ambassador as saying.
In Olekas' words, Lithuania highly appreciates US efforts to enhance security of the Baltic region, as well as US contribution to organizing joint military exercises, participation in the NATO air-policing mission in the Baltic states, and financial aid.
"The assistance will benefit our troops greatly, as many military equipment acquisition projects had been suspended in the wake of declining defense spending over the past few years, thus slackening the modernization process," Olekas said.
According to the press release, the minister also suggested that the US make more active use of the Lithuanian transport infrastructure to send shipments to Afghanistan. US military transit to Afghanistan via Lithuania's Klaipėda port and the Lithuanian railways started back in 2011.
