The Lithuanian and German defence ministers have signed an action plan on the deployment of a Bundeswehr brigade. It sets out deadlines for the relocation of military units and commitments on living conditions for soldiers’ families, including the provision of schools and kindergartens for children.
Lithuanian Minister Arvydas Anušauskas says an initial team will arrive in Lithuania in the spring of 2024 and it “will grow into the brigade’s stationing element that will be based in Vilnius by the end of the year”. The element will consist of around several hundred soldiers, and some of them will arrive with their families.
Under the signed agreement, the brigade’s key deployment to Lithuania will take place between 2025 and 2026.
“In 2027, the German brigade in Lithuania should reach full operational capability, meaning that all its units will be fully staffed and equipped in the country and ready to carry out their tasks,” Anušauskas said, adding that the brigade’s deployment was a national project.
The core of the German brigade will consist of five battalions, including tank and artillery battalions. Berlin intends to deploy a total of around 5,000 soldiers and civilians in Lithuania, with families expected to come with them due to the long rotation period.
“The Bundeswehr has never deployed so many troops on a permanent basis. This will be a new thing. It will be a really big brigade,” German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters.
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The German troops will serve in Rūdninkai and Rukla, some will live in Vilnius and Kaunas, and additional logistic points will be created in other parts of Lithuania.
The German-led NATO multinational battalion deployed in Lithuania since 2017 will also be integrated into the brigade, which is expected to be done by 2026.
According to the signed document, the brigade “will be subordinate to the German ‘Division 2025’ as a heavy combat brigade”.
“Besides very good conditions for training and exercises, Lithuania will establish or make available both civilian and military infrastructure, taking into account German requirements as agreed to by both sides,” the document reads.
It also states that the responsibilities and financial arrangements, including host nation support services as well as funding and operation will be agreed and detailed “in technical arrangements to be developed in 2024”.
Experts call the deployment of the German brigade in Lithuania a flagship project of the Zeitenwende, the new era of security and defence policy that Berlin has declared after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to the German minister, Berlin’s policy changes prove that his country has “grasped the new security policy realities”.
“We are sending a clear signal to those who threaten peace and security in Europe,” Pistorius said.
Better transport, new schools
As Lithuania gears up for the deployment of German troops, Anušauskas says the country still needs to agree on all the requirements for the future infrastructure in order to start design and construction work.
“Of course, financial resources will be needed to build the infrastructure. To some extent, these are planned, but as the scope of the work to be done has grown somewhat from the original plans, we will certainly need to think about additional funding and sustainable sources,” the Lithuanian minister said.
To host the German troops, Lithuania has also committed to creating attractive conditions for the accompanying families.
“Accommodation for the families will be available in the cities of Vilnius and Kaunas or in their close proximity. Two main options will be taken forward: using an existing housing rent market and developing living quarters in a dedicated area,” the plan reads. “Good travel conditions (especially flight connections) between Germany and Lithuania as well as the improvement of traffic links (in particular local public passenger transport) between the cities of Vilnius and Rūdninkai as well as Kaunas and Rukla are desirable.”
In the mid-term, Germany intends to establish one or two Bundeswehr schools abroad and German-language childcare facilities in Lithuania.
Discussions on the deployment of such a brigade in Lithuania started after Russia invaded Ukraine. Germany announced its specific commitment in June.
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