Bundeswehr enters new era with permanent brigade drill in Lithuania

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is set to travel to Lithuania to observe the first exercise of the Bundeswehr’s Armoured Brigade 45, Germany’s permanently deployed combat brigade in the Baltic state, dpa reports.

The “Freedom Shield 2026” exercise is taking place at the Pabrade training area, around 20 kilometres from the Belarusian border, and involves approximately 2,900 troops and 800 military vehicles from eight NATO countries. Around 2,300 of the participating soldiers are from Germany.

Berlin has pledged to station the brigade in Lithuania in response to what it describes as a growing threat from Russia. The unit is expected to reach full operational capability by 2027, with around 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian staff. At present, about 1,800 Bundeswehr personnel are deployed in Lithuania.

The deployment marks new ground for the German military, representing its first permanent stationing of a major combat formation outside the country.

Germany plans to fill most positions in the brigade with volunteers and has sought to attract recruits through initiatives such as information trips to Lithuania. However, recruitment has progressed more slowly than expected.

Pistorius said on June 21 that compulsory assignments could become necessary if volunteer numbers prove insufficient, although he told broadcaster ARD that he expected most positions in the brigade to be filled voluntarily.

Shortages may arise particularly in specialist fields such as engineering, logistics, and nuclear, biological and chemical defence, where the pool of qualified personnel is smaller than in combat roles.

By Vafa Guliyeva