Allied forces in Lithuania are currently participating in Exercise Ramstein Guard, an electronic warfare exercise aimed at enhancing the capabilities of the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence System or NATINAMDS units.
The exercise, taking place simultaneously in Lithuania and Latvia from July 17 to 21, 2023, consists of Electronic Warfare (EW) drills under the command and control of NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre in Uedem, Germany.
During the July iteration of the exercise, participants were exposed to a wide range of EW tactics within a controlled setting. Operators, including those from the Lithuanian Air Defence Battalion equipped with the Giraffe MkIV surveillance radars, were trained to maintain an accurate and timely picture of the air situation while countering the effect of a ground-based jamming station and an electronic jamming aircraft.
“We are conducting exercise Ramstein Guard 2023 just after the NATO Summit held at our Capital, and I am proud of my troops who have prepared intensively and are motivated to complete their tasks,” 1st Lieutenant Aleksas Vaikutis, Commander of the Lithuanian Surveillance Radar Battery, stated. “We are hugely benefiting from training with our Allies and applying common tactics, techniques and procedures. Our surveillance radar operators will learn to adapt to a real-time EW environment. It will be important for us to accomplish training on how platoons interact with tactical operations centers.”
The exercise Ramstein Guard is part of the NATO Electronic Warfare Force Integration Programme (NEWFIP). Its primary objective is to equip Allied forces with the necessary skills and experience to operate effectively in hostile EW environments.
EW has emerged as a critical and increasingly important component on the battlefield due to the growing reliance on interconnected systems and communication networks. As a result, electronic warfare has become a vital element for militaries worldwide, enabling them to gain a competitive edge and protect their assets in the face of emerging threats.