Berlin will spend about 11 billion euros to deploy a combat brigade in Lithuania, Spiegel reports.
The German combat brigade in Lithuania is a prestigious project of Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. His ministry has remained silent for several months, but recently the cost figures were made public for the first time. The German media reported:
“Pistorius’ planners estimate the creation of a combat formation at around 11 billion euros.”
One billion euros will be allocated for annual operating costs, four billion for armoured vehicles and six billion for investments: building infrastructure and buying uniforms.
In December 2023, Lithuanian and German Defence Ministers Arvydas Anušauskas and Boris Pistorius signed an action plan in Vilnius to deploy a German brigade in Lithuania by 2027. Five thousand German military personnel and their families are expected to arrive in Lithuania.
On 8 April, the first group of military personnel from a Bundeswehr brigade assigned to Lithuania arrived in Vilnius. The planning team consists of 20 servicemen. Together with Lithuanian representatives, they will work on the further practical steps of the re-deployment.
However, key funding issues for the project have yet to be resolved between Berlin and Vilnius. This involves covering the costs of, for example, the construction of living quarters and training centres, as well as funding kindergartens and school programmes for the children of military personnel.
