The United States Army

12/19/2024 | News release | Archived content

US Army Civil Affairs Soldiers join Lithuanian Armed Forces in Confidence 2024 Exercise

[Link] 1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Dr. Romaldas Sakalauskas, chief physician of Kretinga Hospital, shakes hands with members of a Lithuanian Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) team exercise Confidence 2024 in Kretinga, Lithuania, Dec. 10, 2024. CIMIC teams assess the civilian environment and its impact on military operations by communicating with key representatives of civilian institutions and organizations. U.S. Civil Affairs soldiers with Task Force Pegasus connect with local communities throughout Europe through community engagements strengthening the bonds with local communities and reinforcing NATO partnerships. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rachel Hall) VIEW ORIGINAL [Link] 2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Dr. Romaldas Sakalauskas (left), chief physician of Kretinga Hospital meets with a Lithuanian Armed Forces Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) team to discuss the hospital's capabilities in Kretinga, Lithuania, Dec. 10, 2024 as part of Confidence 2024. Confidence 2024 is the largest non-kinetic, CIMIC exercise held by the Lithuanian Armed Forces. CIMIC teams met with healthcare institutions in the region to assess capacity and operations. U.S. Civil Affairs soldiers with Task Force Pegasus participating in the exercise connect with local communities throughout Europe through community engagements, to strengthen the bonds between local communities, assuring NATO allies of the partnership and cooperation. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rachel Hall) VIEW ORIGINAL [Link] 3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption - U.S. Army Capt. Matthew Kankash, a Civil Affairs team chief with Charlie Company, 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion, V Corps, supporting Task Force Pegasus, and Lithuanian National Defense Volunteer Forces Pvt. Dominykas Makstutis tour the Plunge Fire and Rescue Service station during Exercise Confidence 2024 in Plunge, Lithuania, Dec. 10, 2024. U.S. Soldiers from Charlie Company, 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion participated in the exercise as observers and evaluators, working alongside Lithuanian Civil-Military Cooperation teams. Exercises like Confidence 2024 enhance interoperability among NATO nations' civil-military operations in the event of armed conflict. Through community engagements, U.S. Civil Affairs soldiers continue to strengthen bonds with local communities and reinforce NATO partnerships. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rachel Hall) VIEW ORIGINAL [Link] 4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Lithuanian Sgt. Marijus Savickas (left) and Pvt. Viktorija Varnagirytė (right) assigned to the Civil-Military Operations Center (CMOC) collects information from the Civil-Military Cooperation teams during exercise Confidence 2024 at Palanga, Lithuania, Dec. 12, 2024. A CMOC supports commanders and staff by providing information critical to planning stability operations, establishing civil security, and addressing the immediate needs for the civilian populations affected by combat operations. U.S. troops with Task Force Pegasus participating in the exercise emphasize the importance of connecting with local communities throughout Europe. Through community engagements, they continue to strengthen bonds with local communities, reinforcing NATO partnerships. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rachel Hall) VIEW ORIGINAL

PALANGA, Lithuania - U.S. Army Civil Affairs Soldiers from Charlie Company, 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion, V Corps, in support of Task Force Pegasus, along with over 200 Lithuanian and NATO troops, participated in Confidence 2024, the largest civil-military non-kinetic exercise held by the Lithuanian Armed Forces in Western Lithuania from Dec. 6 to 13, 2024.

Confidence 2024 is the largest exercise in which the Lithuanian Armed Forces operated a Civil Military Operations Center, or CMOC. U.S. Army Civil Affairs Soldiers participated as observers and evaluators, working alongside Lithuanian and NATO Civil-Military Cooperation Teams and in the CMOC to strengthen civil-military interoperability and train CIMIC teams to operate in the civilian environments meeting with community leaders.

"A lot of the focus right now is interoperability, and this exercise has been awesome for us to sort of test our standard operating procedures and also see how other NATO countries conduct theirs," said U.S. Army Capt. Ryan Farrell, a civil affairs officer with Charlie Company, 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion.

[Link] 1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Lithuanian 2nd Lt. Ieva Zubavičiūtė, assigned to the Civil-Military Operations Center (CMOC), collects information from Civil-Military Cooperation teams during Exercise Confidence 2024 in Palanga, Lithuania, Dec. 12, 2024. The CMOC supports commanders and staff by providing critical information for planning stability operations, establishing civil security, and addressing the immediate needs of civilian populations affected by combat operations. U.S. civil affairs soldiers with Task Force Pegasus participating in the exercise emphasize the importance of connecting with local communities throughout Europe. Through community engagements, they continue to strengthen bonds with local communities, reinforcing NATO partnerships. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rachel Hall) VIEW ORIGINAL [Link] 2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Mykolas Pronckus, service chief of Plunge Fire and Rescue Service, discusses fire and rescue operations with Lithuanian Armed Forces Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) team during exercise Confidence 2024 in Plunge, Lithuania, Dec. 10, 2024. CIMIC Teams engaged with fire and rescue institutions in the region to assess capability and operations, with information gathered and supporting Lithuanian National Defense planning. U.S. Civil Affairs soldiers with Task Force Pegasus participated in the exercise strengthening bonds with local communities and reinforcing NATO partnerships. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rachel Hall) VIEW ORIGINAL [Link] 3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption - U.S. Army Staff. Sgt. Zachary Tavares, a team sergeant with Charlie Company, 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion, V Corps, in support of Task Force Pegasus, participates in a Kretinga District Municipality capabilities brief as part of exercise Confidence 2024, Kretinga, Lithuania, Dec. 11, 2024. Confidence 2024 allows civil-military units from allied nations to share knowledge and prepare for future combined operations. U.S. civil affairs soldiers with Task Force Pegasus recognize the importance of connecting with local communities throughout Europe. Through community engagements, they continue to strengthen bonds with local communities, assuring NATO allies of the partnership and cooperation. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rachel Hall) VIEW ORIGINAL

CIMIC teams dispersed across the region meet with key leaders from municipality governments, hospitals, fire and rescue services, law enforcement, utility companies and nongovernmental organizations. During the meetings, they would learn about the organization, resources and value to the civilian population. This effort identifies and aligns civilian resources for military planners by the CMOC.

"For the civilian population, it helps to see that a military is present," said Lithuanian National Defense Voluntary Forces Pvt. Dominykas Makstutis, a CIMIC team member, "Listening to the civil population, how we could help them, and how the civil population could help us in a case of emergency."

CMOCs are critical for integrating and coordinating efforts between military forces, civilian organizations, and local populations during times of crisis. Operated by Lithuanian CIMIC personnel, U.S. Army Civil Affairs Soldiers observed and evaluated the Lithuanian CMOC operations and compared them with U.S. procedures to look for opportunities for collaboration and to develop better solutions to streamline civil-military operations.

[Link] 1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Antanas Kalnius, mayor of Kretinga, briefs U.S. Army V Corps representatives and civil affairs soldiers supporting Task Force Pegasus, along with NATO Civil-Military teams, about the region's capabilities during an emergency or armed conflict as part of Exercise Confidence 2024 at the Kretinga District Municipality in Kretinga, Lithuania, Dec. 11, 2024. NATO troops from Belgium, Estonia, the United States, Latvia, Poland, and Germany participated in the Lithuanian-led civil-military exercise. U.S. civil affairs soldiers with Task Force Pegasus recognize the importance of connecting with local communities throughout Europe. Through community engagements, they continue to strengthen bonds with local communities, assuring NATO allies of the partnership and cooperation. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rachel Hall) VIEW ORIGINAL [Link] 2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Lithuanian Armed Forces 1st Lt. Renata Virsilaite (standing), chief of the Civil-Military Operations Center (CMOC) supervises her soldiers during exercise Confidence 2024 at Palanga, Lithuania, Dec. 12, 2024. The CMOC provides continuous coordination between military forces and civilian entities. Confidence 2024 is the largest exercise in which the Lithuanian Armed Forces integrated a CMOC. U.S. civil affairs soldiers with Task Force Pegasus participating in the exercise emphasize the importance of connecting with local communities throughout Europe. Through community engagements, they continue to strengthen bonds between local communities, assuring NATO allies of partnership and cooperation. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rachel Hall) VIEW ORIGINAL [Link] 3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Service members from Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) teams tour the Lithuanian Maritime Academy during exercise Confidence 2024 in Klaipeda, Lithuania, Dec. 11, 2024. The CIMIC team is shown the water survival training facility at the school and gathered information about its programs, capabilities and infrastructure. U.S. civil affairs soldiers with Task Force Pegasus participating in the exercise emphasize the importance of connecting with local communities throughout Europe to strengthen bonds between local communities, assuring NATO allies of the partnership and cooperation. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rachel Hall) VIEW ORIGINAL

"I've been asked to be an observer for this exercise. Essentially, I'm going over with the Lithuanians, some of their products, comparing them to ours," said Farrel. "We would be able to create new standard operating procedures based off of this and also be able to communicate to better the maneuverability and mobility for some of the other units that we'll be working with in case of a real-life situation."

The experience highlights how continuous training and adaptability prepare participants for new challenges, aligning military and civilian efforts for future missions.

The exercise not only strengthens operational procedures but also builds lasting partnerships among NATO allies. With valuable lessons learned and new strategies developed, the collaborative efforts demonstrate a shared commitment to maintaining security and stability in the region.