First German Troops Arrive in Lithuania to Bolster NATO's Eastern Flank
The first soldiers of a German brigade deployed to Lithuania arrived in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, the day before - more than 20 soldiers and German Army Commander Alfonsas Meis. In total, Germany intends to send about 5,000 people, soldiers and civilians, to Lithuania, LRT reports.
The German military will be based in Vilnius and will be responsible for planning the deployment of the brigade to Lithuania and coordinating military infrastructure requirements. According to the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence (KAM), the initial headquarters element, which will expand by the end of the year, will help with the deployment of German soldiers to the country.
Back in 2022, Germany committed to deploy a brigade-sized military unit in Lithuania. This agreement is stipulated in a communiqué signed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Gitan Nausėda.
After lengthy discussions, the Lithuanian and German defence ministers signed an action plan for the deployment of the brigade in December last year.
According to the document, Berlin will send to Lithuania the 122nd Armoured Infantry Battalion, which is currently stationed in Oberficht in southern Germany, and the 203rd Armoured Battalion, which is based in Augustdorf in Western Germany.
The Forward Forces Battlegroup, which is currently stationed in Lithuania, will be transformed into a multinational battalion and become an integral part of the brigade.
It is planned that by 2026, most of the brigade will be relocated to Lithuania. According to German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, the brigade will be fully operational in 2027.
Although the German soldiers will serve in Rudninkai and Rukla, they and their families plan to live in Vilnius and Kaunas as well. According to the Ministry of Finance, logistics points will also be set up in other parts of Lithuania.
According to Vaidotas Urbelis, director of the Defence Ministry's defence policy department, who heads the Vilnius-Berlin bilateral working group, the Germans will rent apartments on the common real estate market.