US renews military presence in Lithuania with new troop rotation

A recent announcement by Lithuania’s president has ended months of uncertainty over whether American forces would return to the Baltic country.

President Gitanas Nausėda confirmed via an official statement on X that a new rotation of US troops was on its way to Lithuania.

Nausėda described on September 22 the US military presence as an important part of Lithuania’s defence and regional security, saying he had received confirmation that the troops were en route. He also thanked US President Donald Trump and his administration.

Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys also welcomed the new rotation, describing it as a sign of Washington’s continued commitment to Lithuania and NATO’s eastern flank.

The previous US troop rotation ended in June, but its replacement was delayed as the United States reviewed its military deployments across Europe. As a result, Lithuania was left without a US armoured battalion for the first time since 2020.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered the withdrawal of up to 5,000 troops from Germany and cancelled plans to position a Fort Hood, Texas-based armoured brigade in Poland. The battalion-sized force deployed to Lithuania is typically drawn from the Poland-based brigade.

After the decision to pause the Poland deployment was announced, US troops stationed in Lithuania began returning to the United States without being replaced.

The departing US force had arrived in Lithuania in October 2025 and consisted of two battalions from the 1st Cavalry Division. The units were equipped with Abrams tanks, Bradley armoured vehicles and Paladin self-propelled howitzers.

The troops were also the first US forces to use newly built facilities at Pabradė, near Lithuania’s border with Belarus.

Lithuania has significantly increased defence spending since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. The country’s military budget has tripled since 2022 and is expected to reach 5.4 percent of gross domestic product this year.

Trump also said last week that Washington and Warsaw were making progress toward establishing a new US Army base in Poland.

By Nazrin Sadigova