Lithuania started construction of a military base that would house up to 4,000 combat-ready German soldiers when completed by the end of 2027, Euractiv reported.
Last year, Germany pledged to deploy troops in a NATO and European Union member state that borders Russia. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius compared the decision to the deployment of Allied troops in West Germany during the Cold War.
Lithuanian defence chief Raimundas Vaikšnoras stated that the country would spend more than 1 billion euros ($1.10 billion) over the next three years to develop the base, one of the largest construction projects in its history.
The brigade will work as reassurance to our population and as deterrence, to push the Russians out.
The base at Rudninkai, near the capital Vilnius and only 20 kilometres from Belarus, will host as many as 4,000 military personnel, storage and maintenance facilities for tanks and other equipment, as well as firing ranges of all sizes. Moreover, about a thousand more German military and civilian personnel will be stationed at other facilities in Lithuania. However, construction contracts have been signed for only one-fifth of the buildings at Rudninkai, raising concerns that the complex will not be ready in time.
Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas stated that his ministry would award contracts for the remainder of the work by the end of this year, when his government’s term ended.
The German government requested 2.93 billion euros from parliament to order 105 Leopard 2 A8 tanks, partly to equip a Lithuanian base, according to a draft budget. However, budget disputes within Germany’s fractious coalition are jeopardising Berlin’s pledge to modernise its armed forces.
Lithuania increased its defence spending to 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year, with Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė’s government raising taxes to support defence needs, such as the base, over the next few years.
If we are not secure, there is no security for them.
