Riga, Shawwal 16, 1438, July 10, 2017, SPA -- The US military has stationed Patriot anti-aircraft missiles in Lithuania for military exercises for the first time, the Defence Ministry in Vilnius announced Monday, according to dpa. The weapons system was stationed in the small Baltic nation and NATO member for the Tobruq Legacy 2017 air defence military exercises, which will run July 11-22. Patriot missiles repel aircraft and rocket attacks. "The deployment demonstrates the steadfast US commitment to the security of Lithuania and its high readiness to send strategic capabilities to the region," the Defence Ministry said in a statement. Lithuania, a former Soviet republic that today borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, had repeatedly called for assistance on air defence in the wake of Moscow's annexation of Crimea and concerns for its own security. --SPA 22:15 LOCAL TIME 19:15 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w443547