Lithuania has started constructing a military base that will house up to 4,000 combat-ready German troops by the end of 2027. This marks the first permanent foreign deployment for the German military since World War II.
Chief of Defence Raimundas Vaiksnoras estimated that over the next three years Lithuania would spend over €1 billion on the project, which is one of the largest construction efforts in the nation’s history.
"It’s a huge investment for a country of 2.9 million," Vaiksnoras said at the launch ceremony, adding that the German brigade will serve as both reassurance for the population and a deterrent against Russian aggression.
The base, located in Rudninkai, near the capital Vilnius and just 20 kilometres from Belarus, will include facilities for tanks, storage and shooting ranges.
Around 1,000 additional German military and civilian contractors will be stationed at other sites across Lithuania.
Germany committed last year to deploying troops to Lithuania, a NATO and EU member that borders Russia.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius likened the move to the Cold War-era posting of allied forces in West Germany to defend against the Soviet Union.
Delays
However, with only a fifth of the construction contracts awarded, concerns are growing about meeting the 2027 deadline.
Lithuanian Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas promised that the remaining contracts would be issued by the end of this year, just as his government’s term concludes.
The German government has requested €2.93 billion from parliament to purchase 105 Leopard 2 A8 tanks, partly to equip the Lithuanian base, according to a draft budget seen by Reuters.
But internal budget disputes within Germany's coalition are threatening the pledge to upgrade its military.
Lithuania has boosted its defence spending to 3 percent of GDP this year, with Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte's government raising taxes to fund the base and other defence needs.
"If we are not secure, there is no security for them," Simonyte said at the ceremony, referring to Germany.
