Germany Sends Troops to Lithuania on First Permanent Mission Since WWII

April 1, 2025 TruthUSA

The new deployment is part of an effort by Berlin to secure NATO’s eastern flank and demonstrate Europe’s ability to take on a greater responsibility for its defense.

Germany is sending troops to Lithuania as part of a broader initiative to enhance NATO readiness and assume a more prominent leadership role within the alliance.

This marks Berlin’s first permanent foreign military mission since World War II, although it has participated in temporary overseas missions, including in support of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that the deployment signifies a historic moment for the NATO alliance and Germany’s involvement in it.

“With this combat-ready brigade, we are embracing leadership responsibility within the alliance here at NATO’s eastern flank,” he explained.

The new brigade has been in the works since 2023 and aims to deter further Russian aggression in the region while also shifting some defense responsibilities from the United States to Europe.

The brigade in Lithuania will comprise approximately 5,000 personnel and 2,000 vehicles, including a mechanized battalion, a tank battalion, and additional combat and support elements working alongside a multinational battlegroup.

That battlegroup forms part of NATO’s Enhanced Presence Groups, which have been stationed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland since 2017 in response to Russian-backed operations against Ukraine.

Additionally, a German armored infantry brigade will support the new unit, ready to deploy to Lithuania in case of a crisis.

The German unit is projected to achieve full operational readiness by 2027.

Lithuania and the other countries on NATO’s eastern flank have experienced Russian communist oppression and therefore anticipate potential Russian aggression.

To counter this, these nations are increasing their defense spending significantly.

Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Lithuania has raised its defense spending from under 1 percent of GDP to nearly 3 percent, with plans to further increase it to 5-6 percent by 2030, as detailed in this report.

Lithuania faces challenges with borders close to Kaliningrad and Belarus, prompting efforts to bolster defense and host NATO missions.

This German deployment also aims to assure Washington of NATO’s European members’ readiness to take on a larger role in the alliance’s leadership and security.

Last year, NATO announced the establishment of a new military command in Germany led by a three-star NATO officer from a European country, tasked with training and equipping Ukrainian troops for potential NATO integration in the future.

Currently, Ukraine is not a formal candidate for NATO membership due to various factors, including territorial integrity issues and the lack of unanimous support from all NATO members.

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