Germany to move Slovakia-based Patriot system to Lithuania to protect NATO summit

In a bid to boost the security of a NATO summit slated for July in Vilnius, Germany will move its Patriot missile defense system currently stationed in Slovakia to Lithuania, the German defence ministry said in a statement on May 26.

Germany has stationed two Patriot units in Slovakia and three in Poland, TVP World reports.

“For the ground-based air defence (at the NATO summit), we will move our Patriot units from Slovakia and supporting elements from Poland to Lithuania,” the defence ministry said, adding this would end the deployment to Slovakia.

A spokesperson for the ministry declined to give details on which elements from the mission in Poland the deployment will comprise.