The Bundeswehr has a new brigade

45 Armoured Brigade was activated with a military ceremony at the heart of the capital Vilnius on 1 April 2025. The ceremony marked the formal establishment of this latest German brigade as a larger formation of the Bundeswehr.

Build-up of the Brigade began less than 18 months ago, on 18 December 2023. In Vilnius, Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius and his Lithuanian counterpart Arvydas Anušauskas signed a bilateral roadmap that forms the basis of the deployment of a Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania. Only shortly afterwards, starting in April 2024, an advance party took up work on site, forming the nucleus of the Brigade and growing into an activation staff by the end of last year.

With the ceremony on 1 April 2025 in the inner courtyard of its official seat, the former activation staff assumed the role and tasks of a regular brigade staff. This marks the establishment of the Brigade proper. Command and control facilities are already fully operational. The aim is to reach full operational capability, in other words warfighting capability, of the entire Brigade in Lithuania by 2027. Brigadier General Christoph Huber, Commander of 45 Armoured Brigade, stressed the significance of this day for Germany and its Allies: “Today’s activation is another step towards operational readiness, not only in terms of organisation. We are shouldering responsibility”, he said. “Responsibility for the Alliance, for Lithuania, for the security of Europe. We will wear the new emblem with pride: as a symbol of our resolve to protect peace and freedom, together with our partners.”

Staufer Lion and Gediminas’ Tower are united in the coat of arms

With the activation the Brigade now has its own official coat of arms, worn by all service members of the Brigade on their uniform. It pictures a black Staufer Lion and Gediminas' Tower in Vilnius. The lion stands for the affiliation with 10 Armoured Division and its defence readiness. The city’s landmark symbolises the close partnership with Lithuania. Additionally, a straight sword with Jagiellonian Cross at the centre of the coat of arms symbolises the defence mission of the Brigade to protect Lithuania and NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization territory.

The coat of arms is made up of the national colours of the Federal Republic of Germany and of Lithuania – gold, green, black and red. It underlines the close ties of the Brigade in Lithuania with its host nation, which it has been tasked to protect by the German people.

Firmly integrated into the German Army

The Brigade in Lithuania will comprise around 5,000 military and civilian Bundeswehr personnel. It is already an integral part of the German Army and is subordinate to 10 Armoured Division, one of four German Army divisions. The Brigade will consist of several battalions, such as 203 Tank Battalion from Augustdorf and 122 Mechanised Infantry Battalion from Oberviechtach.

On 1 April 2025, military support personnel were also integrated into the formation. These include medical service personnel for the German Medical Centre in Rokantiškės, a support company and a signals company in Nemenčinė, which will be important for the command and control capability of and liaison with the Brigade staff. These units were all formally activated in separate ceremonies at their respective garrisons on the same day.

In the afternoon, command responsibility the German elements of the Multinational Battlegroup Lithuania was handed over to the rapidly growing Brigade in Rukla. The Battlegroup is the successor of the enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup Lithuania.

First training and exercise activities for the Brigade in Lithuania have already begun and will be stepped up further. At present, work on expanding the military infrastructure in Rūdninkai, where units assigned to the Brigade in future will be based, is progressing at full speed.

by Peter Müller