Pistorius stated that that deployment of the German brigade in Lithuania is ongoing consistently and according to plan. He noted that the initial command element and the commander of the brigade are already stationed in Vilnius.
The minister said that the number of German troops in Lithuania is increasing in parallel with the development of infrastructure for them, as agreed in the action plan. He added that preparation is now ongoing for the arrival of brigade units that would be stationed in Nemenčinė and Rokantiškės, close to Vilnius, and this would happen in the second quarter of 2025.
Furthermore, Pistorius said he would meet with the brigade’s initial command element and view the construction of military infrastructure in Rokantiškės.
According to the German defence minister, soldiers from the brigade will officially begin their service in the second quarter of 2025. This year, the command element of the German brigade will be able to head and carry out exercises together with NATO partners and allies, he said.
Pistorius emphasised that the goal of his visit to Lithuania is to demonstrate that Germany is determined to ensure the security of NATO’s eastern flank. "Lithuania’s security is our security," he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, President Gitanas Nausėda awarded Boris Pistorius the Grand Cross of the Order for Merits to Lithuania in recognition of his personal contribution to the development of strategic defence cooperation between Lithuania and Germany, as well as the implementation of bilateral initiatives aimed at strengthening the security and critical defence capabilities of Lithuania and the region.
As reported previously, in summer of 2022 Berlin committed to send a brigade-sized unit to Lithuania to guarantee the security of NATO’s eastern flank after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February of that year.
Approximately 5,000 German troops and civilians would be stationed in the country. The majority of the brigade is planned to be deployed by 2026, whereas it should reach its full operational capability in 2027.