About hundred German soldiers arrived in Lithuania on Sunday (4 September 2022), as part of NATO’s increased presence on the Alliance’s eastern flank following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to NATO news room publication on Monday, while this arrival represents an important step in strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence at a critical time for its security.
Which stated further that the German troops make up the command unit of a new brigade, a force usually made up of around 3,000-5,000 soldiers.
As they are part of Germany’s 41st tank brigade and arrived in Klaipeda port by ferry from Kiel. The unit consists of about 100 personnel, as well as equipment for command and control, communications and logistics.
NATO Spokesperson, Oana Lungescu said, “the arrival of the first German troops as part of the NATO brigade represents an important step in strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence at a critical time for security, and sending a clear message that NATO will defend every inch of Allied territory”.
The brigade’s command staff will remain permanently in the Baltic nation, while combat units will join them on rotation for exercises.
At Madrid Summit in June, NATO leaders decided to strengthen NATO’s forward defences, including enhancing NATO’s battlegroups in the eastern part of the alliance up to brigade level.
Germany, which leads NATO battlegroup in Lithuania, already has some 1,500 soldiers in country and 4 NATO multinational battlegroups were set up in the Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia in Poland after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
They were enhanced earlier this year in response to Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine, and four new battlegroups are being established in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.
NATO who has doubled the number of troops on the ground in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine demonstrating the strength of the transatlantic bond in defending its allies against aggression.