Germany this week deployed its first permanent military brigade outside its borders since World War II, stationing an armored unit in Lithuania to bolster NATO’s eastern defenses.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz inaugurated the 45th Armored Brigade during a military ceremony on May 23 in Vilnius. “The security of our Baltic allies is also our security,” he said. “Protecting Vilnius is protecting Berlin.”
The brigade will include 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian staff and is expected to reach full operational capacity by 2027. German forces will be stationed at Rukla and Rudninkai, with the unit headquartered near the Lithuanian capital.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda called the deployment “a historic day.” After meeting with Merz, he said, “This is a day of trust, responsibility and action.”
Chancellor Merz and Defence Minister #Pistorius attended the activation ceremony for #Bundeswehr 45 Armoured Brigade in Vilnius today. The brigade will be permanently stationed in Lithuania and will be fully operational by 2027, with 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian employees. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/Ai9BVJBV19
— Germany at NATO (@GermanyNATO) May 22, 2025
Germany has maintained a rotational military presence in Lithuania since 2017 as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence. The new brigade, however, represents a permanent and expanded commitment.
Merz, the first German chancellor to have served in the Bundeswehr, told the Bundestag last week that “the government will in the future provide all the financing the Bundeswehr needs to become the strongest conventional army in Europe.” The German military currently meets NATO’s 2% defense spending target with the help of a €100 billion ($113 billion) special fund established after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. That fund will be exhausted by 2027.
To sustain higher spending, Merz’s coalition pushed through legislation to loosen Germany’s debt brake, allowing further defense investments. Merz also supported NATO’s emerging targets of 3.5% of GDP for military spending and 1.5% for related infrastructure. “Those figures seem sensible to us, they also seem reachable — at least in the time span until 2032 that has been stipulated,” he said.
Lithuania plans to raise its defense spending to between 5% and 6% of GDP starting next year. “We understand the threat and believe that we can face up to the threat with our allies,” Nausėda said.
Nausėda noted that Russia and Belarus had already begun military exercises on Lithuania’s border. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius described the Lithuania deployment as “a clear signal to any potential adversary.”
When asked about concerns that the United States might reduce its troop presence in Europe, Merz responded, “I have no indication that the US would withdraw troops from Europe.”
Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressed European NATO members to increase defense spending, accusing countries such as Germany of “freeloading.”
In response, Merz has advocated for strengthening European defense industries. “The alliance must sustainably strengthen European defense capabilities and our defense industry must expand its capabilities – it has to produce more for Europe and produce more in Europe,” he said in Vilnius.
