Germany will increase its tank brigade in Lithuania by more than 12 times to deter Russia
Germany aims to complete the creation of a tank brigade by the end of 2027 with a personnel strength of up to 5,000 people to deter threats from Russia, Bloomberg reports.
This will be the country's first permanently deployed tank brigade abroad since World War II, journalists note.
On May 22, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will participate in the first ceremonial formation of the 45th Tank Brigade in the center of the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
The decision to deploy an entire brigade to Lithuania was made as part of NATO's renewed defensive posture following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to the Ministry of Defense, there are currently about 400 soldiers on site. The authorities plan to increase their number to 500 by the end of 2025.
By the end of 2027, it should be 5,000 people – thus the number will increase 12.5 times.
German Defense Ministry spokesman Mitko Müller said that German soldiers have already begun their first field training and exercises, which will be further intensified in the coming months.
In February 2026, the NATO multinational force in Lithuania will be subordinated to the 45th Tank Brigade, increasing the unit's strength to 1,800. By summer 2026, Germany plans to deploy around 2,000 soldiers on the ground.
However, whether Berlin will be able to deploy a full brigade by the end of 2027 depends in part on how quickly the Lithuanian authorities can expand the infrastructure and deploy the additional 3,000 soldiers needed to achieve this goal, the journalists note.
Lithuania is increasing defense spending to 5.25% of GDP to strengthen its own army, as well as to accommodate a German brigade.
The Baltic country estimates it could spend about $1.1 million on building military and training infrastructure for the German armed forces.
Germany is currently seeking to recruit more young people into military service. Berlin recently passed a law to improve the pay and working conditions of soldiers stationed abroad, including in Lithuania.
- On May 9, German defense concern Rheinmetall and Finnish synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite manufacturer ICEYE signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint venture, Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions .
- On May 15, it became known that Britain and Germany would jointly develop a new "deep precision strike" weapon.