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SZCZECIN, Poland - During exercise Merkys, held in the Doupov Mountains area in the Czech Republic, soldiers with the Czech Army air defence forces demonstrated their combat readiness ahead of the upcoming deployment to Lithuania as part of the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup.

Czech air defence troops deploy to the Baltic Sea region for the third time / Photo by CPT Lucie Machorková 

Throughout their pre-deployment certification exercise Meryks, the Strakonice-based troops not only performed ground air defence tasks, but also had to respond to a range of situations which may be encountered while on deployment, such as a traffic accident, an equipment failure or a life threatening or medical emergency.

This is the third time the anti-aircraft missile regiment deploys its task force to the Baltic States. As before, the Czech unit will comprise service members with the 252nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Detachment and their RBS-70 air defence systems. They will be supported by soldiers representing military police and cyber security troops.

The main task of the Czech contingent is to provide air defence capabilities for the German-led battlegroup. Alongside other NATO Allies and Partners, the Czech Army contributes to improving cooperation and interoperability in airspace protection.

During exercise Meryks, Czech soldiers demonstrated a broad range of capabilities ahead of their deployment to Lithuania as part of NATO's eFP / Photo by CPT Lucie Machorková