Additional US forces have arrived in Lithuania in response to Russia's military action in Ukraine, and the rotation of the US 3-66 Armor battalion's rotation has been extended, Lithuania's Ministry of Defence said.
Moreover, the United States' F35 fighter jets have landed in Lithuania's Šiauliai.
"That's an adequate US reaction to Russia's war in our neighbourhood. The military presence of the US and other allies in the Baltic states and Poland is a key regional deterrence factor. We have always said that American military presence in Lithuania should be permanent," Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas said.
The incoming F35 fighter jets in Šiauliai will bolster the NATO air policing mission in the Baltic states, currently being performed by Polish, Danish and Belgium air forces. The F35s will boost the mission from the Amari Air Base in Estonia.
The US is also sending additional capabilities to Latvia: an infantry battalion and 20 Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.
Last Tuesday, US President Joe Biden announced the decision to send additional forces and military equipment to the Baltic states. Some 800 American troops and up to eight F-35s and 20„AH-64 Apaches will be sent to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
The US president underlined the move was purely "defensive".
The US has stationed battalion-size army units of around 500 troops in Lithuania on a rotational basis since 2019.
A US battalion with Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles is stationed in Lithuania's Pabradė. It is the fourth US battalion stationed in Lithuania on a rotation basis, which is helping to ensure deterrence alongside the NATO forwards presence forces.
After several months of military buildup which saw Russia amassing around 150,000–200,000 troops near Ukraine's borders, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military invasion of neighbouring Ukraine on Thursday morning, attacking the country from different sides, including the Kyiv region, and sending tanks and troops.
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