On April 1, Germany officially opened its first permanent foreign military presence since World War II — a 5 000-strong armored brigade in Lithuania.
Politico writes about this.
The newly formed 45th Armoured Brigade was launched during a ceremony near Vilnius. A temporary headquarters was established, the brigadeʼs coat of arms was unveiled, and the unit itself is now officially under the command of Brigadier General Christoph Huber.
Berlin has promised a long-term deployment of the unit in 2023, breaking with decades of German defense policy that avoided permanently stationing combat units abroad.
The unit is due to be fully operational by 2027 and will eventually be based at a new military complex in Rudninkai, about 30 kilometres south of Vilnius. Until then, the troops will operate from temporary Lithuanian bases.
The plan includes not only forward units, but also support units — such as a medical center, a communications company, and command support teams — at various deployment locations.
There are currently 150 German soldiers stationed in Lithuania. It is expected that there will be 500 by the end of the year.
Lithuania, which borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus, sees the move as vital to its national security.
- On March 21, the upper house of the German parliament (Bundesrat) supported a plan for billion-dollar investments in the countryʼs defense and infrastructure — their amount will reach a trillion euros.
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