A boy tries the U.S. troops' weapon in Birstonas, Lithuania, on June 17, 2017. Multinational troops participating in multinational military exercise Iron Wolf 2017 in Lithuania, exhibited their weapons to the local people in Birstonas, a famous spa resort. Iron wolf 2017, Lithuania's largest multinational military training, is officially held from June 12 to June 23. (Xinhua/Alfredas Pliadis)
VILNIUS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Iron wolf 2017, Lithuania's largest multinational military training, officially kicked off on Monday.
From June 12 to 23, around 5,300 troops from Lithuania and nine allied NATO countries, including the U.S., UK and Germany, are to exercise defense and offense operations, interoperability in the Southern, Central and Eastern Lithuania, NATO's Eastern flank.
The Baltic country with a population of less than 3 million has stepped up its defense capabilities and asked for an increased allied military presence on its soil since 2014.
