Germany increases the size of its tank brigade in Lithuania to deter Russia - Bloomberg
Kyiv • UNN
Germany is increasing its military presence in Lithuania, expanding its tank brigade to 5,000 troops by 2027. This is a response to Russian aggression and the strengthening of NATO's eastern flank.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius took part in the first solemn roll call of the 45th Tank Brigade in the heart of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.
Germany is strengthening its tank brigade in Lithuania to strengthen NATO's eastern flank, as European allies are taking unprecedented measures to deter an increasingly hostile Russia, UNN writes with reference to Bloomberg.
Details
In Lithuania, we are taking the defense of NATO's eastern flank into our own hands: together, Lithuanians and Germans are showing that we are ready to defend Europe's freedom from any aggressor. Germany is fulfilling its responsibility. Today. Tomorrow. As much as needed
Germany aims to complete the formation of the brigade by the end of 2027, bringing its strength to five thousand soldiers. This will be Germany's first permanently deployed tank brigade abroad since World War II.
As the US is expected to renege on its security commitments to Europe under a Donald Trump presidency, Germany has pledged to play a greater role in the continent's defense. The new center-right chancellor has vowed to transform the German armed forces from a backward one into the strongest army in Europe.
The decision to deploy an entire brigade to Lithuania was made as part of an update to NATO's defense posture following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It followed months of pressure from the Lithuanian government, which is located between the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and Kremlin ally Belarus.
According to the Ministry of Defense, there are currently about 400 German soldiers on the ground, and German authorities hope to increase their number to 500 by the end of this year. German soldiers have already started their first field training and exercises, which will be further intensified in the coming months, a spokesman for the German Ministry of Defense said.
NATO forces in Lithuania In February 2026, the multinational NATO forces in Lithuania will be subordinated to the 45th Tank Brigade, bringing the unit's strength to 1,800.
By the summer of 2026, Germany plans to have almost 2,000 soldiers on the ground. However, whether Berlin will be able to deploy a full brigade by the end of 2027 depends in part on how quickly the Lithuanian authorities can expand the infrastructure to accommodate the additional three thousand soldiers needed to achieve this goal.
Lithuania is increasing its defense spending to 5.25% of GDP to strengthen its own army and host the German brigade. The Baltic country estimates that it can spend about one billion euros on building military and training infrastructure for the German armed forces.
Another obstacle is Germany's struggle to recruit more young people into military service. Berlin recently passed a law to improve the pay and conditions of service for soldiers deployed abroad, including in Lithuania.
The expansion of Germany's military presence in the Baltic States has also opened up investment opportunities for defense giant Rheinmetall. Last year, Rheinmetall signed an agreement with the Lithuanian government to build a plant for the production of ammunition in Lithuania, which is expected to produce tens of thousands of artillery shells each year and create at least 150 new jobs.
The German arms manufacturer is now in talks with neighboring Latvia to establish domestic defense production, Bloomberg News reported earlier.
Supplement
Russia tried to monitor the communications of one of the combat brigades of the German army during NATO exercises in Lithuania. Inspector General Carsten Breuer sees this incident as evidence of how real the threat from Moscow is.