The Bundeswehr in Lithuania: Major steps towards the German manoeuvre brigade
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine caused Europe’s security architecture to falter. The NATO Allies are growing closer. Since the end of the Cold War, cohesion in the Alliance has never been as close as it is now. Accordingly, Germany is bringing a heavy manoeuvre brigade to Lithuania, consisting of 5,000 Bundeswehr personnel.
After Russia had annexed Crimea in 2014 in violation of international law, Eastern European NATO Allies knew that they were facing a new threat situation. In the meantime, Russia started a war in Ukraine which has been going on for more than two years now. This has brought it home to all NATO partner countries just how important the pledges they made at the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius are: to increase the member states’ defence spending and to jointly strengthen the Alliance’s eastern flank.
“With this combat-ready brigade, we are taking on leadership responsibility within the Alliance here at NATO’s eastern flank”.
As a special signal of solidarity with the Allies, Germany is implementing this joint project by establishing a brigade for Lithuania. Permanent stationing of the brigade is regarded as a beacon project of the turning point in security policy known as the “Zeitenwende”, announced by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The Roadmap
Signing the roadmap in Vilnius on 18 December 2023 laid the foundation for the Bundeswehr to station 4,800 military personnel and 200 civilian personnel in Lithuania. Together with his Lithuanian counterpart Arvydas Anušauskas, Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius signed the agreement describing further steps in implementation on the way to stationing the brigade.
A tight schedule: the timetable for stationing a Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania is set. The 4,800 military personnel from Germany are to be fully operational for the defence of NATO’s eastern flank in the Baltic region in three years’ time.
Bundeswehr | Image: Astrid Höffling | Photo: Jana NeumannRequirement: Warfighting capability
Implementation is proceeding briskly to meet the ambitious timetable. In early April of this year, an advance party took up work to set up the Brigade in Lithuania. Until the end of 2024, it will be expanded into an activation staff. It is planned to formally inaugurate 45 Armoured Brigade, as the actual army brigade, with an activation ceremony. Then, first training and exercise activities will be conducted.
The brigade will consist of three major combat units:
- 122 Mechanised Infantry Battalion from Oberviechtach, Bavaria
- 203 Tank Battalion from Augustdorf, North Rhine-Westphalia
- and the mutinational eFPenhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup Lithuania which will be the third combat unit to be integrated into the Bundeswehr Brigade in Lithuania.
They will be complemented by combat and support elements from other service and organisational areas, such as medical service and logistics, military police, administration, chaplain service as well as communication and information systems support. This entire set of forces is then referred to as the Brigade in Lithuania.
Clear commitment to the Alliance
Germany already demonstrated its clear commitment to the Alliance and resulting obligations with the enhanced Forward Presence (eFPenhanced Forward Presence) Battlegroup led by the Bundeswehr in Lithuania for six years. In response to the increasing threat posed by Russia, NATO Allies had deployed Battlegroups, in other words combat formations, to eastern European NATO member states in 2017 as part of the “enhanced Forward Presence”.
In addition, a German brigade – 21 Tank Brigade Augustdorf until the end of this year – has been available for the enhanced Vigilance Activities (eVAenhanced Vigilance Activities) in Germany since September 2022. The Forward Command Element (FCE) of this eFPenhanced Forward Presence brigade, however, is permanently stationed in Rukla.
Deterrence and defence in the Baltics
A total of approximately 800 German military personnel are already serving in Lithuania. Other NATO Allies are participating in turns: At present, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Luxembourg are providing military personnel to the eFPenhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup in Lithuania.
NATO has deployed military personnel in multinational Battlegroups for deterrence and defence not only to Lithuania, but also to the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia as well as to Poland. More than 1,000 military personnel are stationed there for tours of six months each. Besides Germany in Lithuania, the United Kingdom is engaged as a framework nation in Estonia, Canada in Latvia and the United States in Poland. Four additional Battlegroups are available in Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.
The enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup and the enhanced Vigilance Activities Brigade stand ready during the entire buildup phase of the Brigade in Lithuania.
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Unparalleled in the history of the Bundeswehr
The establishment of the brigade in Lithuania as an integral part of NATO defence planning on the eastern flank makes it especially clear that national and collective defence has once again become the Bundeswehr’s core mission in order to safeguard freedom and democracy. Never before in its history has the Bundeswehr permanently stationed so many military and civilian personnel abroad.
The permanent stationing of a brigade in Lithuania is one of the most ambitious projects in the history of the Bundeswehr.
Bundeswehr | Image: Astrid Höffling
The places of duty and exercise areas will be the villages of Rūdninkai and Rukla near the two major cities of Vilnius and Kaunas. Since the end of 2023, Lithuania has already been producing the necessary military and civilian infrastructure at astonishing speeds – including infrastructure for the new military training area in Rūdninkai, which is located only ten kilometres away from Russian ally Belarus. This is where firing ranges and barracks are being built, including accommodation for exercising troops.
As an interim solution, Nemenčinė, Rokantiškės and also Vilnius are used as sites to accommodate the forces.
Reasons for the deployment
The permanent deployment of a brigade to Lithuania is a first in the history of the Bundeswehr. In line with the decisions taken at the Madrid and Vilnius summits, this Bundeswehr deployment contributes to strengthening forward defence, as the brigade will become one of the formations within NATO planning.
As a visible expression of the Zeitenwende and Germany’s commitment to providing security in Central and Eastern Europe, this is also a token of our responsibility for the security of the particularly exposed Allies on NATO’s eastern flank. It sends out a strong message in favour of NATO and is commensurate with Germany’s role in Europe.
Germany has been taking on special responsibility for Lithuania for some time now. For more than six years, Bundeswehr military personnel have been deployed in this Baltic country on rotation. Germany is in command of the multinational eFPenhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup protecting NATO’s eastern flank. Over 800 German servicemen and women are at the heart of the Alliance’s forward presence in Lithuania.
Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius once said it was important to “be able to fight a war so that we will not have to fight one”. With a combat-ready brigade permanently deployed at NATO’s border, Germany is contributing significantly to deterrence on the eastern flank.
In the eastern part of its territory, NATO is increasing its presence and the readiness of its forces. The public message is clear: NATO’s members stand united. To attack one member of the Alliance is to attack NATO as a whole. The Alliance can and will defend itself successfully, if it has to.
Lithuania has a great interest in this deployment and is grateful for Germany's commitment. Germany is Lithuania’s most important European partner and is very popular among Lithuanians.
Despite their massive losses in the war with Ukraine, Russia’s armed forces remain a threat to NATO. This threat is perceived particularly clearly in the Baltic region. The Baltic states have so far shown resilience in countering Russia’s years of attempted hybrid interventions. Nevertheless, Russian intelligence activities in the Baltic region remain at a high level.
Canada’s and the United Kingdom’s engagement in the Baltics is also extensive: Canada is the eFPenhanced Forward Presence framework nation in Latvia, the UKUnited Kingdom in Estonia. Canada plans to deploy two battalions of a brigade to Latvia by 2025. The United Kingdom will, in addition to the eFPenhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup in Estonia, earmark a brigade for rapid deployment to the Baltic region.
The 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act is a mutual political declaration of intent. It does not contain a deployment ban for NATO. In line with the times, it simply stated “that in the current and foreseeable security environment, the Alliance will carry out its collective defence and other missions by ensuring the necessary interoperability, integration, and capability for reinforcement rather than by additional permanent stationing of substantial combat forces.”
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has dramatically changed that security environment. Under these circumstances, the NATO-Russia Founding Act cannot be a limiting factor for the necessary expansion of NATO’s presence on the eastern flank. Russia has clearly violated its pledge from the Founding Act not to use force against other nations.
Agencies abroad are fairly common. For example, the Bundeswehr operates the German Air Force Tactical Training Command in Texas, USA, where Bundeswehr jet pilots are trained. 291 Light Infantry Battalion is stationed in France, some 15 minutes by car from the German border. The permanent deployment of an entire brigade, however, i.e. the stationing of several thousand Bundeswehr personnel abroad, some of whom are joined by their families, is a first in the history of the Bundeswehr.
Timelines and structure
Implementation started on 8 April 2024 with an advance party of about 20 personnel. In the fourth quarter of 2024 it will be expanded into an activation staff of some 150 personnel. In 2025, the brigade will become operational following an activation ceremony.
In accordance with the roadmap signed together with Lithuania, the full operating capability of the brigade is to be reached by 2027, depending on the timely provision of civilian and military infrastructure.
These requirements primarily include the provision of necessary and suitable infrastructure – both military and civilian – by Lithuania. In addition to barracks and exercise grounds, this entails accommodation for Bundeswehr personnel deployed to Lithuania and their families, but also schools and day-care facilities within reach of public or other means of transport.
Since the deployment is permanent there is no termination date scheduled for the foreseeable future.
Around 4,800 servicemen and women as well as approximately 200 civilian members of the Bundeswehr and support personnel from in-house companies will be deployed at two permanent locations in Lithuania. The brigade will consist of three combat units as well as additional combat and support elements, including from other services and organisational areas such as: Medical Service and logistics, military police, administration, chaplain service as well as communication and information systems support.
At the heart of the brigade will be two existing combat battalions of the German army: 122 Armoured Infantry Battalion from Oberviechtach, Bavaria, and 203 Tank Battalion from Augustdorf in North Rhine-Westphalia. These tried and tested combat units will provide a powerful reinforcement for NATO’s eastern flank with their primary weapon systems, the Puma armoured infantry fighting vehicle and the Leopard 2 main battle tank.
The present enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup will be restructured and integrated into the brigade as a third combat battalion.
The third manoeuvre unit of the brigade will consist of a multinational combat battalion. To this end, the present enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup will be incorporated into the brigade. Details on the structure are currently being coordinated with our partners. The German elements of this combat battalion will be provided from army structures on a rotational basis, similar to the system employed today with the enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup.
Locations and personnel
The German forces will be stationed at Rūdninkai and Rukla. These two sites are near the cities of Vilnius and Kaunas.
Residential accommodation will be established at Rūdninkai and Rukla. The housing markets in Vilnius and Kaunas furthermore offer an attractive range of apartments in or close to the city centre, especially suited for Bundeswehr service personnel whose families are moving with them.
Existing Lithuanian infrastructure in Nemenčinė and Rokantiškės will be used by the German forces as a temporary solution. Both locations are close to the capital city Vilnius.
Military and civilian personnel serving in the brigade will be posted to Lithuania. The duration of such a posting will be several years, depending on career and assignment. On operations abroad, by contrast, service personnel are part of contingents that are replaced by another contingent after an average of three months, which means they return to their units in Germany.
212 Armoured Infantry Battalion and 203 Tank Battalion will be relocated to Lithuania in their entirety and permanently. For the rotating German component of the future multinational combat battalion a unit will be selected from the structures of the German army and temporarily deployed to Lithuania, as has been the practice so far with the enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup. Meeting personnel requirements is a Bundeswehr-wide task.
Personnel selection and staffing will in principle start in summer 2024, ideally on a voluntary basis. However, the warfighting capability of the brigade remains the most important yardstick.
Materiel
A newly established brigade needs additional materiel, which must be procured. As a rule, it is possible to draw on existing framework contracts with the defence industry to ensure the best possible equipment. Available materiel will be used first, however.
Lithuania will pay for the construction of military and civilian infrastructure.
As a partner country, Lithuania will also meet the needs of family members accompanying the troops, with day-care centres and schools as well as family-friendly accommodation and job opportunities in Kaunas and Vilnius. Good flight connections are also intended to facilitate travel between the two countries. An attractive setup and the best possible conditions for training, exercises and personal life are to ensure that the troops on site are motivated and effective.