Meeting on the eastern flank
Bundeswehr protects NATO summit in Lithuania with missiles and Eurofighters
German Eurofighter at Neuburg Air Base. From here, the Bundeswehr jets start patrol flights to protect the NATO summit in Lithuania
© Daniel Karmann / DPA
A signal of determination should go out from the NATO summit in Lithuania. Unlike at the last meeting in Madrid, government representatives and the military are now meeting directly on NATO’s eastern flank.
Anti-aircraft missiles on the ground, armed Eurofighters in the air: the Bundeswehr protects the NATO summit starting Tuesday in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. While Ukraine has now been fighting the Russian attack for more than 500 days, the alliance is charting the course ahead. It is only about 30 kilometers from Vilnius to Belarus, Russia’s ally, and the Russian Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad is about 160 kilometers away.
“Of course, the best thing would be to live without weapons. But we live in such a world that you feel safer when you see something like this at our airport,” said Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, who heads the three Patriot squadrons of the German Air Force at the largest airport in his country. Around 250 German soldiers are responsible there for protection against ballistic missiles, but also against aircraft and cruise missiles.
The Bundeswehr has also deployed five special forces helicopters to the country, which are intended to enable Lithuanian commandos to move quickly. According to Lithuanian information, a total of up to 12,000 men and women will be on the ground during the top meeting for security.
Spain moves air defense system to NATO summit
Other NATO partners are also involved in protecting the NATO summit. Spain transferred a Nasams air defense system to Lithuania. On Monday, combat aircraft from Germany will take up armed patrol flights over Lithuania. The Eurofighters will take off from the air bases in Nörvenich (North Rhine-Westphalia), Neuburg an der Donau and Laage (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). France is also sending jets for protective flights. Finland flies in combat aircraft for the first time as a new NATO ally and neighbor in the region.
Military circles point out that there is no evidence of an impending attack. The alliance is reacting to the intensified security situation in Europe and the regional context. It is pointed out that threats can be identified early with the skills that have been put in place and that this can also help to avoid possible misunderstandings.
military alliance
From the Cold War to the Russian invasion of Ukraine: the history of NATO
The presidents of Lithuania, Poland and Latvia recently expressed their concerns about developments in neighboring Belarus in a joint letter to NATO. The background is the stationing of Russian tactical nuclear weapons and the possible accommodation of fighters from the Wagner mercenary group in the country autocratically ruled by President Alexander Lukashenko.
Nauseda thanks Chancellor Scholz
Lithuania’s President Nauseda praised the relocation of the air defense systems as a further symbol of the good German-Lithuanian cooperation in the military field. He also thanked Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on Twitter. Germany is the so-called framework nation for the NATO troop presence in Lithuania. The Bundeswehr manages and coordinates the commitment on site all year round.
“We have another example where our trusted ally, Germany, was not only willing to provide us with Patriots, but also relocated them,” he said, referring to the German military. As is so often the case, however, expectations grow with commitment: Nauseda also expressed the hope that NATO allies would eventually station Patriot systems in Lithuania on a permanent basis.