In a move not witnessed since WWII, German troops are embarking on a permanent deployment to foreign soil. The decision comes amid Russia’s intensifying war with Ukraine, positioning troops in an at-risk region along Russia’s borders.
The upped security will station 4,800 troops and their families in Lithuanian cities of Kaunas and Vilnius in an attempt to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank.
During the week of Dec. 17, Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, revealed a “roadmap to action plan.”
Most troops will be sent to the country from 2024 through 2026, and Germany expects them to have full-operational capability in 2027.
The move is especially strategic right now. Lithuania borders both Russia and Russia’s ally Belarus.
The Lithuanian defense minister stressed the need for the agreement.
“The German brigade will significantly increase our defense potential and enhance NATO deterrence and collective defense,” Anusauskas said.
A spokesperson for the Lithuanian Defense Ministry, Martynas Bendikas, told Newsweek negotiations with Germany picked up in June of 2022, three months after Russia invaded Ukraine.
“The war in Ukraine has indeed exerted a substantial impact on the regional security landscape,” Bendikas said. “In light of this, we are indeed intensifying all our efforts to ensure security in the region, collaborating closely with our allies.”
German officials said there will be three “maneuver battalions,” combat support and supply units within the brigade.
Lithuania is committing 0.3% of its gross domestic product to support the effort and has said it will likely have to raise taxes to fund the effort. The funding will go towards housing and training grounds.
German soldiers will have German-language schools, kindergartens and flight connections.
The Lithuanian defense minister underscored the urgency felt in the former Soviet Republic.
“The speed of the project clearly shows that Germany understood the new security reality,” Anusauskas said. “We should expect not only good scenarios but also the very worst scenarios. So, we must be ready… Russia remains the main threat to us and NATO.”
The project comes after a push by Western powers for Germany to help Ukraine’s efforts against Russia. In January, the U.S. and other Western allies pressured Germany to send to Leopard 2 Tanks to Ukraine.
Lithuania is a country of 2.7 million people. It was once ruled from Moscow, but the country is now a member of the European Union and NATO. The Lithuanian military has around 8,000 professional soldiers and enlisted.
