The newly created 45th Armored Brigade will bolster NATO’s eastern flank amid the threat of Russian aggression.
It was officially activated during a ceremony outside Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, on Tuesday, Germany’s armed forces, the Bundeswehr, said in a statement. A temporary headquarters has also been set up.
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The move comes at a time of mounting anxiety in Europe over the future of transatlantic unity, with concerns that the U.S. may retreat from its role as the continent’s security guarantor, a position it has held for 80 years.
U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration have repeatedly criticized European nations for relying too heavily on Washington for security and have urged NATO’s European members to assume greater responsibility for regional defense.
Trump’s conciliatory attitude toward Russia has also sparked fears among Europe’s leadership that he might push for a peace settlement in Ukraine that favors Moscow, potentially emboldening the Kremlin to pursue further aggressive expansion in the region.
Earlier, defense ministers from Estonia and Lithuania warned that Russia could exploit a ceasefire in Ukraine to rearm and redeploy forces northward, increasing the security threat to the Baltic states.
Brigadier General Christoph Huber, who will command the new unit, told the German news agency dpa: “We have a clear mission: to ensure the protection, freedom, and security of our Lithuanian allies on NATO’s eastern flank.
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“In doing so, we also protect NATO territory — and Germany itself.”
The brigade is set to be fully operational by 2027 and will be stationed in a new military complex in Rūdninkai, roughly 30 kilometers south of Vilnius. Until then, troops will operate from temporary Lithuanian bases.
Further milestones for the #Bundeswehr brigade to be permanently stationed in 🇱🇹! 💪
Vilnius: Official activation of the staff of 45 Armoured Brigade
Rokantiškė: Setting up of the medical centre
Nemenčinė: Soldiers from the Staff Support & Signal Company are now serving in 🇱🇹 pic.twitter.com/jAYAUhyS2q
— Germany at NATO (@GermanyNATO) April 1, 2025
Germany currently has 150 troops in Lithuania, a figure expected to rise to 500 by the end of the year.
Germany pledged the long-term troop deployment to Lithuania in 2023, breaking with decades of defense policy in which Berlin avoided stationing permanent forces abroad.