48th Air Expeditionary Group deploys to Lithuania

ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England (Aug. 28, 2017) -- The 48th Fighter Wing
has deployed approximately 140 Airmen and seven F-15C Eagles as the 48th Air
Expeditionary Group to Siauliai Air Base, Lithuania to assume control of the
NATO Baltic Air Policing peacetime collective defense mission Aug. 29, 2017.


The U.S. Air Force will officially assume command of the current BAP mission
from the Polish military on Aug. 30. During the deployment, U.S. Airmen will
continue to build upon shared values, experiences and vision to strengthen
the bond between Baltic allies through shared capabilities and coordinated
efforts to effectively accomplish missions.

U.S. participation in this mission underscores its unwavering pledge to NATO
to ensure a safe and stable future for the Baltics while preserving the
integrity of NATO's borders. This action comes at the request of Baltic
allies and further demonstrates U.S. commitment to the security of fellow
NATO nations under Article 5.

For queries, contact +49 (0) 6371-47-6558 or e-mail at
usafepao.pao@us.af.mil. If after duty hours, please call +49 (0)
1624-25-5428 or send an e-mail to usafepa.pastaffdutyofficer@us.af.mil.

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U.S. European Command is one of the United States' two forward-deployed
Geographic Combatant Commands whose area of focus cover almost one-fifth of
the planet, including all of Europe, large portions of Asia, parts of the
Middle East and the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The command is responsible
for military relations with NATO and 51 countries with a total population of
close to a billion people.