Representatives of the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence and the Federal Ministry of Defence of Germany have agreed that the process of stationing the German Brigade in Lithuania is implemented smoothly. At the 11th meeting of the Joint Working Group, the German representatives presented a draft Brigade stationing plan, and discussed the course of and the progress made on logistical, infrastructural and other strategic work.
Final details of the plan will be discussed and agreed to at the Planning Conference in November; however, the draft indicates that the bulk movement will take place in the second semester of 2027 with the fully operationally capable Brigade stationed in Lithuania completely by the end of next year.
“The German and Lithuanian commitment to the European security is taking physical shape. Troops of the German Brigade are already on the ground in Lithuania and their number is nearing the full complement consistently. The Brigade will be stationed in full on schedule, we are following a clear plan step by step and doing everything to remove any obstacles to this historical step on our part,” says Minister of National Defence Robertas Kaunas.
While addressing the delivered commitments, recognitions were bestowed for personal contributions. Head of the Liaison Office of the Federal Ministry of Defence of Germany to the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania Peggy Grosse received the National Defence System Medal of Merit for Civilians in recognition of her credit and personal contribution to the development of military infrastructure for the German Brigade in Lithuania. Head of the Infrastructure Division of the Logistics Department of the Ministry of National Defence Lt Col Arvydas Gruodis was recognised with the award of the Federal Minister of Defence.
The number of Brigade personnel already moved to Lithuania is consistently increasing and is expected to reach 2000 military and civilian members serving under the Brigade’s flag by the end of the year. The number is planned to approximate 5000 by the end of 2027.
The Brigade will be stationed permanently at the Rūdninkai Military Training Area where intense constructions of the required infrastructure are underway. At the same time as Phase 1 is nearing completion, Phase 2 of the constructions is catching momentum as buildings are rising, utilities are being built and other kinds of infrastructure is taking shape.
Advanced firing range complexes are developed in the territory of the Training Area to provide military training infrastructure side by side with the housing.
Infrastructure is developed across multiple locations. The Permanent Staging Area has already been completed in Rukla and constructions of the Upper Neris Terrace are about to kick off. Other logistical sites being developed in different locations of Lithuania will contribute to a smooth stationing of the Brigade and its reaching full combat readiness.
The German side underlined the progress made by the Lithuanian colleagues and the excellent synchronization of action and procedures. Besides military infrastructure, services for the civilians – education, health – were also a central focus.
The historical partnership project has been conducted smoothly since the very first strategic agreement: the Joint Action Plan signed in Vilnius on 18 December 2023 by the Lithuanian and German Ministers of Defence, thus laying a firm foundation for the subsequent stationing of the German Brigade in Lithuania.
