Germany will station 5,000 troops in Lithuania by 2027, marking its first permanent foreign deployment since WWII. The deployment will strengthen NATO’s eastern flank and deter Russian aggression.
German military personnel will be permanently based aboard for the first time since the Second World War. Approximately 250 Bundeswehr personnel from the 45th Armored Brigade arrived in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius last fall as an activation squad.
An inauguration ceremony marked the official start of German military operations in the Baltic state.
“This is a historic day,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said after meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, CNN reported. “This is a day of trust, responsibility, and action.”
By the end of 2027, around 5,000 German troops will be permanently stationed in the Baltic nation to help strengthen NATO’s eastern flank. Berlin has previously rotated military personnel to Lithuania, which borders Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, and Belarus, a close Russian ally.
However, this deployment marks the first time a German brigade has been formally based on foreign soil since the end of the Second World War.
German Troops Are Stationed on the Lithuania-Russian Border
Lithuania is both a former Soviet republic and a NATO member state. Moscow has criticized its accession to the international alliance as part of NATO’s “eastern expansion,” however, Lithuania has become equally critical of Russian aggression.
Vilnius has also been a vocal ally of Ukraine following Russia’s unprovoked invasion more than three years ago.
In addition, Lithuania has increased defense spending and is one of the highest in NATO spending based on its GDP. It spends nearly three percent of its GDP on defense, surpassed only by Poland, Latvia, and Estonia, which also border Russian territory and currently spend more than three percent of their respective GDP. Vilnius announced it would increase defense spending to five to six percent beginning next year.
There is a good reason for those nations’ focus on defense and for posting German troops within Lithuania. NATO military planners have also warned that the Kremlin could mount an invasion through the Suwałki Gap, the sparsely populated area along the border of Lithuania and Poland, to cut off the land bridge from Central Europe to the Baltic states.
German Leopard 2A8s Tanks Are on Russia’s Doorstep
In December 2023, Berlin and Vilnius agreed to a roadmap action plan that called for the stationing of thousands of foreign troops in Lithuania. Last October, Berlin released details of a plan to acquire an additional 105 Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks (MBTs), along with some armored vehicles, their crews, and supporting personnel in Lithuania.
The country’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) also unveiled a plan last fall that called for Lithuania to purchase an undisclosed number of German-made tanks and the Swedish CV-90 infantry fighting vehicle. The tanks and auxiliary cars will be used to equip a newly formed Lithuanian Army tank battalion, which is being restructured from an existing mechanized battalion.
As previously reported, Berlin signaled that it would significantly increase its defense spending, up from around 2.12 percent of its GDP last year, which was already a significant increase from the 1.51 percent it had spent in 2022.
Despite having the largest European economy, Germany only ranked fifteenth of the thirty-one NATO members at the start of 2024. Its lawmakers have sought to boost its defense budget further.
“Germany is investing massively in its armed forces,” Chancellor Merz said Thursday.
“With this, we also want to signal to our allies: let us now invest with determination in our security,” Merz added.
“Together with our partners, we are determined to defend alliance territory against every aggression. The security of our Baltic allies is also our security.”
The question is whether Moscow is listening.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Shutterstock/Mircea Moira.
