German reinforcements for the defense of Lithuania are taking shape.

The Ministry of Defense in Vilnius announced on Monday that the first Bundeswehr soldiers for the NATO brigade to protect Lithuania, which is being set up, will arrive at the beginning of September.

"The tentative date is September 8, but things are still moving," Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas told the BNS agency, according to a report.

According to this, a “management element of the headquarters” should arrive.

Lorenz Hemicker

Editor in Politics

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A spokesman for the German Ministry of Defense initially did not confirm the date on Monday to the FAZ.

In expert circles, however, the date is considered probable.

The soldiers are said to be members of the staff commanding the brigade.

In the future, it is to include between 3,000 and 5,000 soldiers.

According to German ideas, they should also include troops from partner countries that are already active in the NATO combat group that has been in the country up to now.

The German units of the brigade, instead of being permanently stationed in the country, will be rotated to Lithuania for a few weeks.

In addition to this brigade, up to 300,000 soldiers in various activation stages of up to 30 days are to be kept ready for the defense of alliance territory.

The "NATO Response Force" with 40,000 soldiers is planned for this until the end of 2024.

In the future, Germany intends to provide a total of two combat troop brigades with around 15,000 soldiers for the defense of NATO's eastern flank, plus 65 combat aircraft and 20 naval units, for whose deployment, operation and supply another thousand soldiers will be kept ready.

In addition to troops, large weapon systems and the rotation concept, which is called "Brigade minus" in specialist circles, the German concept envisages stationing weapons, ammunition and a command staff in Lithuania itself.

This is intended to ensure that the units are ready for action more quickly if necessary and that fewer goods have to reach the Baltic States, which are only connected to the other NATO countries overland via the narrow Suwalki Corridor between the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Moscow's ally Belarus are.

Against the background of the Russian annexation of Crimea and the long-simmering war in eastern Ukraine, a NATO battalion with around 1,600 soldiers has been in Lithuania since 2017.

The association, which is stationed in the small town of Rukla, is led by the Bundeswehr, which currently also has the largest contingent of troops with more than 1,000 task forces.

The battle group has so far been integrated into the most powerful Lithuanian unit, the "Iron Wolf" brigade.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began six months ago, the NATO countries decided to significantly increase their presence in the Baltic States.

Instead of relying on political deterrence, NATO now relies on being able to defend alliance territory militarily at any time.

Against this background, the alliance is now planning regional operations for the entire eastern flank.

They should be completed in the coming year.