Lithuania Begins Construction of First Permanent Military Base for German Soldiers Worth $1.1 Billion

Lithuania has begun construction of a new large military base for 4,000 German soldiers near the Belarusian border. Lithuania plans to complete this project by the end of 2027. It will be the first permanent overseas deployment of German troops since World War II, Reuters reports.

Germany has pledged to deploy its troops in Lithuania as part of strengthening defensive measures along the EU and NATO borders amid the growing threat from Russia. Lithuania, for its part, is also a member of NATO and the European Union. 

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius compared this decision to the deployment of allied troops in West Germany during the Cold War to protect Western Europe from a possible Soviet attack.

For his part, Lithuanian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Raimundas Vaikshnoras estimated that the country would spend more than €1 billion on the construction of the Rudninkai base. This will be one of the largest infrastructure projects in Lithuanian history. 

The new military base will be located just 20 km from Russia's ally Belarus and will provide storage and maintenance space for tanks and other military equipment, as well as firing ranges of various sizes.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonite stressed the importance of this project for the security of the country and the whole of Europe. She noted that increasing defence spending to 3% of GDP is a necessary step for national security.

For its part, Germany has asked the parliament to allocate €2.93 billion for the purchase of Leopard 2 A8 tanks, some of which will be used for the Lithuanian base. The move is part of a broader NATO and EU effort to strengthen defences on the eastern flank, which is particularly important as Russia's war in Ukraine enters its third year.