Latvian Lt. Col. Gunars Kaulins, the exercise director

Latvian Lt. Col. Gunars Kaulins, the exercise director for Summer Shield, speaks to U.S. Marines, Latvian soldiers, Estonian soldiers and Lithuanian soldiers during the opening ceremony for the beginning of Summer Shield aboard Camp Adazi, Latvia, April 7, 2014. This is the 11th iteration of the Summer Shield exercise, a joint staff planning and combined arms live fire maneuver event designed to enhance the Latvian Land Force’s capacity and capability to integrate fires and maneuver at the battalion and brigade level as well as increase partner capacity, promote regional stability, and continue to develop Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian and U.S. interoperability. (Official Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Scott W. Whiting, BSRF PAO/ Released)