US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, currently on a visit to Lithuania, has announced that the United States will deploy additional 400 troops to Lithuania.
“Additional 400 personnel from the First Armored Brigade Combat Team will be arriving in Lithuania in the days to come,” he said during a news conference with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on Monday.
With this additional deployment, the contingent of US troops in Lithuania will increase to approximately 1,000.
A US battalion of approximately 500 troops is currently stationed at the military training area in Pabradė, in the district of Švenčionys north of Vilnius.
“The United States has a commitment to NATO’s Article 5,” Blinken said. “That commitment is sacred.”
“No one should doubt our readiness, no one should doubt our resolve,” he added.
Blinken said that the US administration was currently reviewing the presence of US troops around the world, including permanent deployments.
“All of that is reviewed regularly and we are engaged with NATO allies in doing that,” he stated.
According to Blinken, Lithuania understands the importance of territorial integrity and sovereignty after having lived 50 years under Soviet occupation.
Russia attempted to harm Lithuania’s democracy and provoke divisions in society through cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns, the US secretary of state said.
“That’s because the free, open, vibrant and prosperous society that the people of Lithuania have built since the end of the Soviet occupation shows what is possible when people choose the path of democracy over autocracy,” he pointed out.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in its second week, has heightened fears of a potential attack against other countries within the region, including NATO members. Officials say, however, that they have no evidence at present that Russia has plans to take that step.
Additional troops have already been sent to Lithuania by Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and other countries.
On Sunday, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said that more American troops would be sent to Lithuania, without specifying the number.
According to the general, the troops will be taken from a US brigade of approximately 3,500 troops stationed on NATO’s eastern flank.
Additional troops will be deployed as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine.
“Currently, troops are being deployed here,” Milley told reporters at the Pabradė military training area in the district of Švenčionys north of Vilnius.
The US military brigade was arriving in Germany where it would receive the necessary weapons from warehouses, he said.
“Then General [Tod] Wolters, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and General [Christopher G.] Cavoli will send them to different countries,” Milley said.
“Lithuania is one of them,” he added.
Air defence, artillery
The general said that the specific numbers of troops that should be deployed in particular countries were being discussed.
General John S. Kolasheski, commander of the US Army V Corps, stated that decisions had been made to deploy air and missile defence radars, short-range air defence systems and self-propelled artillery installations in Lithuania.
They would be intended for the reinforced US armoured battalion of approximately 500 troops stationed in Pabradė.
The United States also has F-35 fighter jets stationed at an air base in Šiauliai, northern Lithuania, as well as troops from US Special Operations Forces serving in the country.
With NATO allies deploying more forces to Lithuania amid Russia’s threat, the government last week allocated 40 million euros for new camps designated for additional forces.
Chief of Defence of Lithuania Valdemaras Rupšys said that such camps, each with a capacity of approximately 800 troops, would be set up in Marijampolė, Kazlų Rūda and Pabradė.
He described the United States as “our closest and strongest ally”.
The American leadership “assures us that we are not alone, that we can deter and, in the worst case, defend our country,” Rupšys said.
Milley stated that, despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there was no clear and unambiguous evidence that Moscow would be planning attacks against Lithuania or other NATO countries.
“It may change, it may change tonight, it may change tomorrow, it may change next week, but we don’t see it now,” the general said.
Consider permanent deployment
Milley also confirmed that the US was considering a permanent deployment of troops in Lithuania.
The US has deployed rotational battalions of about 500 troops in Lithuania since 2019. However, Lithuania’s officials have been asking Washington to permanently station troops in the country.
The US Department of Defence was currently reviewing the presence of US troops around the world, Milley said.
“The idea of a permanent presence of our forces in Lithuania or any other country is being considered by our policymakers,” the general stated.
He called Russia’s war against Ukraine illegal.
“The whole world understands that,” the officer added.
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