strengthening NATO
Germany wants to permanently station 4,000 soldiers in Lithuania
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and Carsten Breuer (left), Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, stand together on the flight from Berlin to Vilnius in the Luftwaffe Airbus
© Kay Nietfeld / DPA
For months it was discussed whether a Bundeswehr combat troops brigade should be permanently stationed in Lithuania. During his visit to Vilnius, Defense Minister Pistorius surprisingly announced a decision.
Germany wants to send around 4,000 Bundeswehr soldiers to Lithuania on a permanent basis to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank. “Germany is ready to permanently station a robust brigade in Lithuania,” said Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Monday during a visit to the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. The prerequisite is the creation of the necessary infrastructure for the accommodation of the soldiers by the Lithuanian authorities and exercise facilities.
The Bundeswehr has been in Lithuania, which borders Russia and Belarus, since 2017, currently with around 800 soldiers. In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the German government pledged in June 2022 to significantly increase its presence and have a full combat troop brigade ready to defend Lithuania in the event of an attack.
So far, however, it has been disputed whether the soldiers should be stationed permanently in Lithuania or only sent there temporarily for exercises. The Lithuanian government has vehemently demanded a permanent presence. For a long time, the federal government was very reluctant to comment on this. Now there is a clear commitment.
Pistorius: Germany used to be on NATO’s eastern flank
Pistorius justified the move with German history. Until the end of the Cold War, Germany was on NATO’s eastern flank, he stressed. “We were the ones who could always rely on our NATO partners to stand by us in an emergency and fight with us for our freedom and security in Germany,” he said. Today, Poland and the Baltic States are particularly exposed. “And we, the Federal Republic of Germany, expressly acknowledge our responsibility and our obligation, as a NATO member country and the largest economy in Europe, to protect the eastern flank.”
So far there is only one command post of the German brigade in Lithuania, which is usually manned by 20 soldiers. Most of the Panzergrenadierbrigade 41 “Vorpommern” is kept ready at various locations in Germany. In the event of a tension, it should be possible to transfer it to the Baltic country within ten days. This is currently being practiced for the third time. In the past few days, around 300 tanks and other vehicles have been transferred to Lithuania in addition to around 1,000 soldiers for a maneuver scheduled for July 7th. Pistorius watched the exercise in Prabade – just a few kilometers from the border with Belarus – on Monday with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
In addition, the Bundeswehr has had several hundred soldiers in Rukla, Lithuania, for six years. Germany is leading a NATO battle group there with currently around 1,600 soldiers, including around 780 soldiers from the Bundeswehr. What will happen to this association when the German brigade is stationed in Lithuania is still unclear.
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Lithuania wants to create infrastructure by 2026
Pistorius said that the 4,000 soldiers should be transferred gradually as the infrastructure develops. Lithuania has already pledged to invest in expanding barracks and other military facilities to house the troops. “For our part, we will do everything we can to create the conditions for the stationing of a German brigade as early as 2026,” said President Nauseda in April.
Lithuania’s Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said that deploying a German brigade was “our priority”. “We stand ready to continue working together to coordinate the needs of the German armed forces to be able to host a brigade-sized unit in the country as quickly as possible and with the highest quality,” he said, adding: “The deployment of German forces in defense of our country is truly visible and appreciated.”
Wagner squad could mean new challenge
After the aborted uprising of the Wagner mercenaries in Russia, Nauseda sees an increasing urgency for the project. “The events of the past weekend in Russia have shown the instability of the Kremlin regime,” said the head of state of the Baltic EU and NATO country. This could mean even greater challenges in the future. Nauseda had already called on Sunday to increase the troop presence on NATO’s eastern flank if Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ended up in exile in Belarus with unclear intentions. “I’m not just talking about Lithuania here, but about NATO as a whole.”
However, Pistorius pointed out that technically the German brigade could not be completely relocated to Lithuania at this point. However, one is in close contact with NATO and Lithuania in order to “get into a half-past position, so to speak” and to be able to react quickly to a changed threat situation.
After his meeting with Nauseda, Stoltenberg said only: “We are monitoring the situation in Russia.” It is an “internal matter of Russia”. At the same time, the events of the weekend are “further evidence of the major strategic mistake” made by Russian President Vladimir Putin with the illegal annexation of Crimea and the war against Ukraine.