US troops begin withdrawal from Lithuania after rotation ends

More than 1,000 US troops and their equipment have begun withdrawing from Lithuania following the end of a deployment rotation, Lithuanian defence-sector sources said.

A new group of soldiers is expected to replace them, although the timing and size of the next deployment have not been confirmed as the United States reviews its military posture in Europe, Caliber.Az reports, citing Lithuanian media.

Several Lithuanian government sources in the defence sector confirmed the withdrawal, speaking on condition of anonymity. Deividas Matulionis, the president’s chief national security adviser, also confirmed parts of the information.

US troop rotations in Lithuania have been almost continuous in recent years. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the presence was expanded into a persistent rotational deployment of around 1,000 or more troops, along with combat vehicles.

Officials said the current transition could result in a longer-than-usual gap without US forces on the ground, although a replacement rotation is still expected.

Matulionis said Lithuania had received assurances from the United States that US troops would remain in the country despite the ongoing review of US forces in Europe.

“We have received a very clear assurance from the Americans that the troops were and will remain, but I cannot specify the exact numbers today,” he said.

“The rotation of American troops involves logistics, so it is natural that certain time gaps may occur.”

The US has deployed battalion-sized rotations to Lithuania regularly since 2019, with the presence expanded following the start of the war in Ukraine.