The first group from the German 45th Tank Brigade arrived in Lithuania for permanent deployment to cover NATO’s eastern flank.
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This was reported by the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.
On April 8, the first group of German military personnel – 21 soldiers of the 45th Lietuva Tank Brigade – was delivered to Vilnius airport on a C-130 military transport aircraft of the German Air Force.
Most of the group will be located in Vilnius. She will be responsible for planning the brigade’s redeployment to Lithuania and coordinating military infrastructure requirements.
The decision on the permanent presence of the German contingent was made on December 23, 2023 under the influence of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The purpose of the redeployment is to strengthen NATO’s presence in countries that share a border with the Russian Federation and Belarus.
It is planned that by the end of the year the brigade headquarters in Lithuania will increase to 150 troops, whose functions will include further work on the transfer of German soldiers to serve in Lithuania.
“Military” writes that after the creation of military infrastructure at the Rudninkai training ground, the main location of the German brigade will be the military territory of the Shalchininkai region. Most of the soldiers of the German army brigade will serve at the Rudninkai training ground, the rest will serve in Rukla. German soldiers and their families will live in Vilnius and Kaunas.
The main forces of the 45th brigade will be transferred to Lithuania in stages: the first soldiers will arrive in the country this year, and the main redeployment of units will take place in 2025-2026. In 2027, the German brigade should reach full combat capability.
In total, 4.8 thousand German soldiers and 200 civilians will be transferred to Lithuania. The brigade will be headed by Colonel Andre Gastenrath, who previously served in Lithuania. The heavy 45th Tank Brigade is a newly created unit. It consists of three battalions, as well as logistics support units.
Source: Racurs
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