The permanent deployment of around 4,800 German soldiers to Lithuania has been agreed upon in a multi-year “Roadmap Action Plan” between Germany and Lithuania.
As the first long-term overseas deployment since WWII, the decision is considered a major strategic alliance between the two countries. Beginning in 2024, the soldiers will be stationed in Vilnius and Kaunas, Lithuania. Most of them will be deployed in 2025 and 2026; by 2027, they are anticipated to be fully operational. Lithuania has promised to provide every piece of military and civilian infrastructure required.
Initially announced in June, the deal did not include a deadline. Given the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which borders Lithuania, this is a good development in defense cooperation. Additionally, Belarus, a staunch Russian ally, shares a border with Lithuania. Discussions made progress during the June 2022 summit in Madrid, and in July, at the summit in Vilnius, they were finished.
Professionals from both military ministries worked together to develop the strategy. Over 1,000 allied soldiers are now stationed at Rukla, and most of the troops from Germany will be deployed in a military training ground in Rūdninkai. The new brigade, comprised of existing and newly created forces, will include combat support, supply units, maneuver battalions, and logistical hubs to serve them. A multinational battalion will be built out of Lithuania’s improved Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group, representing an essential brigade component.
Laurynas Kasciunas, a politician from Lithuania, said that the government would set aside 0.3% of its GDP over the next several years to assist in paying for the deployment and construction of housing, training grounds, and other facilities for the German forces. Tax increases could be necessary to implement this proposal.
Amidst Russia’s escalating conflict with Ukraine, German soldiers are being permanently deployed overseas, putting themselves in a vulnerable area near Russia’s frontiers.
