Lithuania has begun building Germany’s first permanent overseas military base since World War II.
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Construction work began this week on a new German army barracks in Lithuania, near the border with Belarus, which will house some four thousand Bundeswehr soldiers by 2027.
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Last week, German media reported that Germany is forced to reduce military assistance to Kyiv, since, according to the current budget planning of the German government, no new funds are now allocated for these purposes. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Berlin will continue to provide Ukraine with the largest support in Europe.
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German media previously reported that stationing a combat brigade in Lithuania would cost Germany approximately 11 billion euros. Of this amount, one billion will go towards annual operating costs, four billion for the purchase of armored vehicles and six billion for further investments such as the construction of infrastructure and the purchase of military uniforms. However, this amount does not include payments of allowances for serving abroad.
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In December 2023, Lithuanian and German defense ministers Arvydas Anusauskas and Boris Pistorius signed an action plan in Vilnius to deploy a German brigade in Lithuania by 2027. As Anusauskas said, the transfer of the main formations will take place in 2025-2026, and “in 2027, the German brigade in Lithuania should reach full operational readiness.” It is expected that five thousand German military personnel with their families will arrive in the republic.
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According to the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense, Germany intends to deploy a heavy brigade with three maneuver battalions and the necessary combat support and supply units in the country.
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Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Germany is ready to strengthen its contingent within the framework of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence mission in Lithuania. According to the commander of the Lithuanian army, Valdemaras Rupšis, it is necessary to prepare the infrastructure to accommodate the brigade allocated by Germany, consisting of five to six thousand military personnel. Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte noted that preparations for the reception of the German brigade will take three years
