Germany Scales Up Battle Tank Brigade in Baltics to Deter Russia

Germany is ramping up its battle tank brigade in Lithuania to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank as European allies take unprecedented steps to deter an increasingly hostile Russia.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will take part in the first ceremonial roll call of the Panzer Brigade 45 in the heart of the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Thursday.

Germany aims to complete the establishment of the brigade by the end of 2027, with up to 5,000 personnel on the ground. It’ll be the country’s first permanently-deployed battle tank brigade abroad since World War II.

With the US expected to roll back security commitments to Europe under President Donald Trump, Germany has pledged to play a greater role in the continent’s defense. The new center-right chancellor has vowed to transform the German military from a laggard to Europe’s strongest conventional army.

The decision to deploy an entire brigade in Lithuania came as part of a revamp of NATO’s defense posture following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It was taken after months of pressure from the government of the frontline Baltic nation, which is wedged between Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad and Kremlin ally Belarus.

Merz is expected to echo the message of predecessor Olaf Scholz, who pledged during a visit to the region last year that Germany will defend “every inch of territory” of its three Baltic NATO allies in case of a Russian attack.

There are currently around 400 German soldiers on site, which the German authorities hope to increase to 500 by the end of this year, according to the Defense Ministry.

German soldiers have already begun their first training and exercise activities on the ground, which will be further stepped up in the coming months, a German Defense Ministry spokesman said.

In February 2026, NATO’s multinational force in Lithuania will be subordinated to the Panzer Brigade 45, bringing the unit’s numbers up to 1,800. By summer 2026, Germany aims to have nearly 2,000 soldiers on the ground.

However, whether Berlin can deploy a full brigade by the end of 2027 depends partly on how quickly Lithuanian authorities can expand infrastructure and accommodation for the further 3,000 soldiers needed to meet that goal.

Lithuania is ramping up defense spending to 5.25% of GDP to bolster its own army as well as to host the German brigade. The Baltic nation estimates it may spend about €1 billion to build military and training infrastructure for the German forces.

A further hurdle is Germany’s struggle to attract more young people to military service. Berlin recently passed a law to improve pay and working conditions for soldiers deployed abroad, including those in Lithuania.

Germany’s expanded military presence in the Baltics has also opened up investment opportunities for defense giant Rheinmetall. 

Rheinmetall signed a deal with the Lithuanian government last year to construct an ammunition production plant in Lithuania, expected to produce tens of thousands of artillery rounds each year and to create at least 150 new jobs.

The German arms manufacturer is currently in talks with neighboring Latvia on setting up domestic defense production, Bloomberg News previously reported. 

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