The beginning of the deployment of German permanent forces in Lithuania

– International news – Tasnim News Agency According to the German publication “De Sight”, the deployment of a permanent German military unit in Lithuania has begun. For this purpose, Boris Pistorius, the German Federal Minister of Defense, said goodbye to 20 German soldiers at the Berlin airport and they are going to prepare a brigade in Lithuania. A German unit has been set up in Lithuania. German Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said goodbye to the 20 soldiers at the government terminal at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport. He said: “This is an important day for the Bundeswehr. It is the first time that we will permanently deploy such a unit outside Germany.” That there is still much work to be done, including at the local level. The infrastructure has to be right, the barracks have to be established there and the housing and construction of apartments has to be done. He added: “There is still a lot of work to be done also on the Lithuanian side and I – I can assure you – we will do everything we can to equip the brigade as it should be from the beginning.

The first 20 soldiers must also prepare the transfer of other soldiers. It is expected that this command unit will increase to 150 men and women by the end of 2024. This army brigade in this NATO and European Union member country will be reorganized under the name Panzerbrigade 45. After the brigade is formally launched in 2025, additional troops are expected to begin deployment that year, provided the required infrastructure is available in Lithuania.

In response to the war Russia v. Ukraine, the German federal government promised to transfer a combat-ready battle group capable of independent action to Lithuania. According to the timetable, this brigade should be operational by 2027. About 4,800 soldiers and about 200 civilian members of the military, who could bring their families with them, are planned.

Pistorius signed a political document on the deployment in Vilnius in December. And spoke of a “historical moment”. The main location of this brigade will be the military training area of ​​Rudninka, not far from the border of Belarus. According to Lithuanian information, about 80% of the soldiers will be stationed there and the rest will be stationed in Ruklai in the center of this country.

The Lithuanian government had also pressed for the deployment of these forces. Before this, a special commission was formed to prepare it, and since the end of March, a deputy minister in the Ministry of Defense of this country was responsible for receiving this brigade. Russia has criticized this deployment. Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman of the presidential office in Moscow, said: “The German military presence in Lithuania will intensify the current tensions.” The Baltic Sea is a neighbor. Between the two countries, a narrow land corridor runs from western Lithuania to Poland – NATO’s so-called Suwalki gap, over which a conflict could arise in case of an attack.

For Lithuania, the deployment of German troops is guaranteed. It is desirable from NATO’s commitment to provide assistance. In polls, the vast majority of people in this country support the permanent presence of German soldiers in their country.

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