defense
Pistorius at the Bundeswehr and military exercise in Lithuania
Federal Defence Minister Pistorius with soldiers in Lithuania. Photo
© Alexander Welscher/dpa
Boris Pistorius praised Germany for taking a “really special step”. The defence minister expressed his gratitude during a visit to the brigade’s advance command and a military exercise.
Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius met in Vilnius with the advance command of the Bundeswehr brigade, which Germany wants to station in the Baltic NATO partner country by 2027.
“I’m really, really happy about what you’re doing here. It’s exemplary, it’s unprecedented in the history of the Republic and the Bundeswehr,” said the SPD politician at the meeting with the force led by Colonel André Hastenrath . It is “really a special step” that Germany is taking here.
In response to the changed security situation in Europe, the Federal Government has promised to permanently station a combat unit in Lithuania that is ready for combat and able to act independently. The brigade is expected to be operational until 2027. A permanent presence of around 4,800 soldiers and around 200 civilian Bundeswehr members is planned. The incident team with around 20 soldiers arrived in Lithuania on April 8th.
Minister at military exercise
After the meeting with the advance command, Pistorius made his way to the Pabrade military base. There he attended a military exercise with live ammunition shooting at Lithuania’s largest military training area. An attack by an enemy military force on alliance territory was simulated. Pistorius himself was taken to the spacious and sparsely vegetated training area in a Leopard 2 battle tank.
Later, the SPD politician saw the events up close in a Fuchs armored transport vehicle and also climbed into the self-propelled howitzer 2000 – the Bundeswehr’s heaviest artillery piece. “Thank you very much for allowing me to go with you. I don’t have the opportunity to go with you on a regular basis either,” Pistorius said in front of German soldiers with whom he met for a conversation after the exercise.
The military exercise called “Grand Quadriga” was part of the NATO defense exercise “Steadfast Defender” – the largest NATO maneuver since the end of the Cold War around 35 years ago. Germany is taking part with 12,000 Bundeswehr soldiers and several of its own exercises. “We are doing this for a good reason,” emphasized Pistorius. It’s about demonstrating not only combat ability, but also combat readiness.
Lithuania borders on Belarus, which is allied with Russia, and on Russia’s Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad. Between the two countries, a narrow land corridor runs west from Lithuania to Poland – the so-called Suwalki Gap, around which fighting could break out in the event of an attack. For the Lithuanians, Germany’s troop stationing is a desired reassurance of NATO’s commitment to assistance.