German Field Army Commander Harald Gante, who is visiting Lithuania on Wednesday, says that the infrastructure for the German brigade assigned to Lithuania is being put in place smoothly, adding that any backup plan would be considered if the main plan fails.
According to German media reports, Vilnius has informed Berlin that the infrastructure required for stationing the brigade will not be ready on time, delaying the full deployment until the end of 2028 or early 2029.
Lithuanian officials, however, say things are progressing according to schedule, and that if anything fails to be built on time, the brigade would be temporarily handed over the existing military infrastructure used by Lithuanian troops.
Gante says the Field Army now has no information that Lithuania might not put the necessary infrastructure on time.
“I will start to think about Plan B if Plan A doesn’t work. So one step after the other,” he told reporters in Rukla. “We do not have any information that Plan A will not work at the moment. But we have to be flexible at the end of the day.”
Rukla-based German soldiers serving within the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion have nothing to complain about, Gante says, adding that the main goal is not to create “great living conditions” for the planned brigade.
“We have both a common objective. And it’s not to have great living conditions here in Lithuania, it’s about deterrence, and it’s about Russia. And we must be able to station a German armoured brigade here in Lithuania in order to ensure the freedom of the Western nations and that’s what it is about,” Gante said.
During his visit to Rukla, the commander inspected a Permanent Logistics Support Area under construction in Rukla for the German brigade.
This base will be used to store and maintain allied transport, equipment, weapons and supplies. Construction began in August 2022 and is planned to be completed in early 2025.
The Permanent Logistics Support Area project is funded by Berlin and developed by a German company, with 15 Lithuanian construction firms involved as subcontractors. The project is being implemented through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency.
In the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vilnius and Berlin agreed on the permanent deployment of a German brigade in Lithuania.
The bulk of the brigade will be based in the Rūdninkai training area in the eastern district of Šalčininkai, with the remainder to be stationed in Rukla in the central district of Jonava.
Berlin plans to deploy the brigade by 2027. Germany has said the pace of the relocation will depend on Lithuania’s readiness to host the troops and their families by creating the necessary conditions.
The brigade’s initial command element arrived in Lithuania in early April.
The Lithuanian Defence Ministry estimates that investments in the military and training infrastructure needed to host the German brigade could reach 800 million euros.
Around 200 German troops are expected to arrive in Lithuania this year. Their number is expected to increase to 800 next year, with battalions likely to begin deployment in 2026.
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