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Germany is going to transfer a brigade of 4,000 troops to Lithuania and deploy them there on a permanent basis, according to the head of the German Defense Ministry Boris Pistorius at a press conference in Vilnius on June 26. Lithuania can be considered a Baltic outpost of NATO’s military presence in Russia’s own backyard, given Lithuania borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
The measure is reportedly aimed at assisting in securing the alliance’s eastern flank. The Minister did not clarify when the transfer of troops will take place, since it is necessary to create the necessary infrastructure on the spot. That’s why the brigade would be strengthened gradually and should be consistent with NATO’s operational plans.
Lithuanian President promised to create conditions for the permanent deployment of military units within one year and a half.
The command post of the German brigade is located in the city of Rukla. Since 2017, several hundred Bundeswehr soldiers have been deployed there.
NATO representatives agreed to deploy an alliance brigade in Lithuania last autumn. German commanders have already long led a battalion of NATO troops in Lithuania (about a 1,000-strong multinational force), but Vilnius has since the Ukraine war began consistently asked for more reinforcements of German troops in the country. In September, about 100 German soldiers arrived there and began to form the future brigade headquarters.
The slow march toward potential future direct NATO war with Russia continues. The deployment of large German brigade signals the continued escalation, even while Ukraine’s counteroffensive fails to make significant gains.
