One of the most ambitious projects in Bundeswehr is to take shape: the deployment of nearly 5,000 German soldiers in Lithuania. On April 1, the new “Panzerbrigade 45” or the 45 armored brigade was officially put into service in the Vilnius capital. It constitutes the heart of the combat unit with which Germany hopes to secure the eastern flank of NATO at the request of Lithuania, in response to the Russian Aggression War against Ukraine.
While the German army was previously made up of eight brigades, a ninth is now added, that of Lithuania. It is to stay there permanently – a first in the history of the Bundeswehr. As a symbol of solidarity, the emblem of the Panzerbrigade 45, which the soldiers relate to their uniforms, also includes a Vilnius landmark, the Gediminas tower.
“Germany will be ready to defend each square thumb of the NATO territory,” promised the German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius during his first speech to the Bundestag after the new government has taken more than two weeks. The parking lot of the German brigade in Lithuania, he said, is “a strong signal for our partners and a clear sign for any potential opponent”.
Lithuania has 3 million inhabitants and is located between the Russian exclavement of the Kaliningrad Oblast and the ally of Russia, with which it shares a border of nearly 680 kilometers (423 miles). The Lithuanian government is working on the construction of a powerful Blinde force, for which it commanded 44 main leopard leopard 2 A8 combat tanks. The same reservoir will also be used by the Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania, facilitating cooperation between the two armies.
New barracks and roads
Pistorius has been creating the creation of the brigade since the summer of 2023. Currently, only brigade staff and initial support units are on site, but by the end of this year, there should be a total of 500 German soldiers on the ground.
A crucial infrastructure is still under construction: in the Rudninkai military training area, the main base of the brigade, barracks are under construction, new roads are under construction and a railway line is under service to serve the site in the south-east of Lithuania, about 30 kilometers from the border with the Bélarus. Schools and children’s gardens for the families of soldiers are built in the cities of Vilnius and Kaunas.
The deployment of the whole brigade, which must be completed by the end of 2027, is not only a logistical feat for the two countries, but also financial. Lithuania has increased its defense budget. The new German government under the Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union of Center-Direct (CDU) announced its intention to increase the defense expenses of Germany.
However, the Bundeswehr is struggling to find the 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian employees which he must voluntarily move to Lithuania for several years at the same time. In January, the Bundestag adopted legislation designed to make the meaning of the oriental flank of NATO – and in the Bundeswehr in general – more attractive: which includes more flexible work hours, increased allowances, better additional salary and post -receipt support.
German schools and post office offices on the ground
The Bundeswehr has been deployed in Lithuania since 2017. Germany has resumed the management of the NATO multinational tactical group, which was subordinate to the new armored brigade in April.
The legal basis for the permanent deployment of the brigade is an intergovernmental agreement concluded between Germany and Lithuania in September 2024. It allows the Bundeswehr to use the Lithuanian properties without rent, to store weapons and ammunition in the country at its discretion and to operate the post offices. The government can also establish German -language children’s gardens and schools, which will teach the German study program and will reward German qualifications, which will also be recognized in Lithuania.
This article was initially written in German.
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