Germany launches construction of its permanent military base in Lithuania

Germany has initiated the construction of its first permanent military base abroad, located in Lithuania.

The new base will house a brigade of 4,800 German troops and 200 civilians, with the goal of fully operationalizing the facility by 2027, News.Az reports citing foreign media.

The plan is to put the brigade in service next year and to reach full operational ability by 2027, according to the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces. In addition to the personnel, it will house 2,000 vehicles, an infographic released by the German Ministry of Defense shows.

While Germany will provide the troops, Lithuania will build the physical infrastructure. It will be located in the Rūdninkai Training Area in the country’s southeast and cost Vilnius €125 million ($139 million).

Politico, citing a German defense ministry speaker, previously reported that Berlin expects the brigade to require a “one-time investment of €6 to 9 billion,” mostly for the purchase of weapons systems, and annual operating expenses of €800 million thereafter.

The German military is already present in Lithuania. Berlin has been leading NATO’s enhanced forward presence in the country for six years. According to the Bundeswehr, 800 German military personnel already serve in Lithuania on a rotational basis.

The Bundeswehr has called the decision to deploy the 5,000-strong, combat-ready, heavy maneuver brigade “a beacon project of the watershed era in security policy.”

“Deployment in the long term and on this scale is also new for the German armed forces,” reads the service’s website.

News.Az