The German brigade will be created specifically to be deployed in Lithuania, said Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas following his meeting with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius.
Anušauskas said that a final agreement on all the details will be reached later this year. The minister also said the brigade will most likely be based somewhere close to Vilnius to make the deployment more attractive for the troops.
"We will finally agree on very specific details [and] an action plan for implementation, which will be signed probably in Vilnius in December," Anušauskas told LRT.
The brigade will have "reinforcing and supporting elements, so the number [of troops] may be somewhat higher” than 4,000, the minister said.
“The brigade will develop and expand to the extent that we build the necessary infrastructure," Anušauskas added.
If preparations continue at the current pace, most of the infrastructure will be in place by 2025 and the final preparations will be complete by 2026.
In recent interviews with German media, Pistorius also said the first troops will start arriving in Lithuania next year. A small, triple-digit force will deploy next year and a brigade’s commander will also be appointed, Pistorius told Tagesschau.
"Our partners in Lithuania will not be able to create and provide the necessary infrastructure in one day. This will happen in several stages. That is why we will move the brigade to Lithuania gradually over the next few years," Pistorius said.
The German minister reaffirmed that a brigade of around 4,000 troops will be stationed in Lithuania. Troops will be sent to the Baltic country voluntarily.
"Indeed, we are receiving a lot of positive feedback from the troops, which makes me very happy. Lithuania has an excellent reputation among the troops," Pistorius said.
He added that the brigade will also integrate the German troops currently deployed in Lithuania.
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