BERLIN/VILNIUS (dpa-AFX) – The combat brigade planned for deterrence and defense in Lithuania armed forces is scheduled to enter service in 2025 with a formal appeal. According to information from the German Press Agency, an incident command will be relocated to the NATO partner’s territory in the second quarter of next year. This should then continue to grow so that the formation staff is in the country by the end of the year at the latest, led by the first commander of the brigade.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius landed in Kaunas, Lithuania, on Sunday evening. He wants to sign a roadmap for the deployment with his counterpart Arvydas Anusauskas on Monday in the capital Vilnius. Germany is thus taking into account Lithuania’s security needs following Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Lithuania and Germany will undertake to create framework conditions for the establishment of an operational and combat-ready brigade. Pistorius had described the project as a “lighthouse project of the turning point”.
According to military information, the Lithuania Brigade involves the permanent relocation of a total of around 5,000 men and women, including 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian employees. Two combat troop battalions from Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia are to be relocated as the core of the new brigade. The third battalion will be the multinational NATO battle group (eFP battle group) in Lithuania, which is already in the Baltic state under Germany’s leadership and has rotating personnel.
For Lithuania, the planned deployment is a sign of support and solidarity. Basically, the Bundeswehr brigade is a kind of second army that will significantly increase the security of the region, Lithuanian Defense Minister Anusauskas told the German Press Agency at the Gaiziunai military training area before the meeting.
The transfer of up to 5,000 men and women from Germany represents great support for the Lithuanian armed forces. They only have 15,000 soldiers, including 3,500 conscripts. By 2030 there should be 17,000 to 18,000 soldiers. Lithuania has 2.8 million inhabitants.
According to Anusauskas, the roadmap will specify infrastructure construction and set the schedule for troop deployment. Specific details should then be regulated in detailed technical agreements for each object and system. These should be concluded in addition to a general agreement between Germany and Lithuania, said Anusauskas.
Germany is considered a key partner in the upgrading and modernization of the Lithuanian army, which uses German weapon systems and vehicles. Quite a few Lithuanian officers were also trained at Bundeswehr universities.
Meanwhile, the first Leopard 2 tanks delivered by Germany to Ukraine and damaged in the fight against Russia have been repaired in Lithuania. The repaired battle tanks are expected to return to the battlefield soon from the Baltic EU and NATO country. “Lithuania consistently supports Ukraine’s struggle for independence and not only sends military aid, but also helps repair Leopard tanks,” emphasized Defense Minister Anusauskas.
The Leopard 2 tanks were repaired in a maintenance center set up in Lithuania by the two German arms companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall. They were demonstrated and tested at the Lithuanian Gaiziunai military training area
– They are expected to return to Ukraine at the beginning of January
be transported. “What can I say? A powerful tank,” said Anusauskas on Friday after a short test drive.
Repairs to tanks damaged in combat began in October. “We have all kinds of damage from direct hits, mines, drone attacks and also water damage,” said Sebastian Dietz, head of Lithuania Defense Services (LDS), the Lithuanian joint company of KMW and Rheinmetall. Some of this involves combat damage that has never occurred in Germany or on these tanks in general – both on the vehicle and on the turret.
After much hesitation, Germany handed over Type A6 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine in March. Other European partners also promised deliveries to Ukraine, which has been defending itself against Russia’s war of aggression for almost 22 months. Neither Anusauskas nor Dietz wanted to reveal how many Leopard 2 tanks were to be repaired in Lithuania. Both pointed out that this also depends on the Ukrainian side.
The maintenance center, in which the self-propelled howitzers delivered by Germany to Ukraine were previously serviced, is geared towards the Leopard variants 2A5 and 2A6. It is almost the only hub in Europe for this, said Dietz. In contrast, the Leopard variant 2A4 is being repaired in a tank workshop in Poland./cn/DP/he