Lithuania plans to have the infrastructure necessary for the stationing of a German brigade in the country ready by mid-2025, Laurynas Kasčiūnas, chairman of the Lithuanian parliament’s Committee on National Security and Defence (NSGK), has said.
On Wednesday, NSGK was briefed by the Defence Ministry on the plans to develop military infrastructure in Lithuania.
Previously, Lithuania planned to have the necessary infrastructure to host the brigade by 2027.
“I can say for sure that the plan is already for the mid-2025,” Kasčiūnas told reporters on Wednesday.
Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas said the deployment of the German brigade will require the construction of both storage facilities for weapons and infrastructure to accommodate troops.
“This would include Panevėžys, Klaipėda, Suvalkija, and the Rūdninkai training area,” he told reporters.
A German-led multinational NATO battalion has been stationed in Lithuania since 2017, but countries agreed in June to upgrade it to the brigade level. The decision was also endorsed by NATO leaders at their summit in Madrid.
Most of the brigade will be stationed in Germany, at least for the time being. Lithuanian officials cite the existing lack of infrastructure to host and train allied troops in the country as the reason for this decision and vow to develop the necessary infrastructure.
Among other things, Lithuania started building a new military training area in Rūdninkai earlier this year, and also announced plans to develop campsites elsewhere in the country, capable of accommodating around 800 troops each.
According to Anušauskas, some 350 million euros could be allocated over the next two to three years to improve the military infrastructure. The Defence Ministry has drawn up development plans for the brigade’s infrastructure, and financial options are now being coordinated, the minister said on Facebook.
Also, there are plans to expand the existing dormitories in Rukla, Jonava District, where the German-led NATO battalion is currently stationed.
“The project on paper was started four years ago and was very much stuck at some point, so it has not only been revived but has also been pushed forward,” Anušauskas said.
“Once we receive German proposals, the design will start this year so that a 2000-member allied contingent can be stationed in Rukla,” he added.
According to the minister, the infrastructure that is currently being developed will allow deploying some 15,000 additional troops in the future, and the construction of ammunition storage will allow accumulating larger military reserves.
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