As part of the implementation of the NATO Madrid Summit decisions on strengthening deterrence and defence in the eastern part of the Alliance, the German 41st Brigade Forward Command Element was deployed in Rukla in early September this year. As the Forward Command Element reaches its full operational capability, it is preparing for its first exercise. Infantry Battalion troops will arrive in Lithuania this week.
After the bilateral meeting and the inauguration of the Forward Command Element, A. Anušauskas and Ch. Lambrecht will observe the exercise at the Gaižiūnai training ground, where the German troops will train together with the King Mindaugas Hussars Battalion of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
The German enhanced vigilance in Lithuania is a bilateral agreement between Lithuania and Germany, following NATO decisions taken after Russia started the war in Ukraine. Germany has been making a significant contribution to regional deterrence for several years by leading the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battlegroup in Rukla, established in 2017, also investing in Lithuania’s military infrastructure and contributing to the modernisation of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
