Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Lithuania has lived in fear of an attack from Moscow.
In this military camp located in Bavaria, some of the soldiers will be transferred to Lithuania in three years. In total, Germany, a NATO member, is preparing to transfer around 5,000 soldiers to Lithuania, also a member of the Alliance since 2004, in 2027.
This was confirmed by the German Minister of Defense during a visit to this camp.
“We have experience of deployments abroad, notably through the battle group. However, the conditions here are different, since it involves several years and, in many cases, deployments accompanied by families“, said Boris Pistorius, German Defense Minister.
This is the first sustained deployment of German troops on European soil since the Second World War.
A decision motivated by Lithuania’s fears, and taken a few months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Baltic state shares a border with Belarus, a close ally of Moscow. But also with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad which is home to a large naval base.
In Germany, some of the soldiers are impatiently awaiting this deployment to Lithuania.
“There are comrades who want to leave and others who do not want to leave. Personally, the question didn’t even arise for me. Ultimately, I serve my country and, through this, I also serve Europe. Europe is also Lithuania, and that is important to me. So I also let my country know“, explains Alexander, a German soldier.
The two German combat battalions will be deployed in two Lithuanian cities, where military bases are located. A project that has a cost. The deployment of these soldiers is estimated at around 30 million euros per month. An investment that worries, at the highest level of the German army.
The deployment of the first soldiers should begin during 2024 and continue until 2027.