U.S. Army Pfc. Nathan Guynn maneuvers with his squad during exercise Saber Strike at Pabrade Training Area in Lithuania on April 21, 2024. With an influx of NATO troops and the expansion of Lithuania's military, some small-town residents could be forced to relocate as the country seeks additional training space, a Lithuanian official said July 23, 2024. (Devin Klecan/U.S. Army)
STUTTGART, Germany — Lithuania’s military expansion and an influx of more foreign troops could mean relocation for small-town residents, as the NATO country makes way for the buildup, a top Lithuanian official said Tuesday.
Presidential adviser Kęstutis Budrys said in a national radio interview that much more space is needed for training areas and accommodations for troops.
Besides the domestic military enlargement, Lithuania also is hosting larger numbers of NATO forces, including a U.S. armored battalion that operates on a rotational basis in the country.
“We will certainly have situations with local residents where we will have to talk about relocation,” Budrys said Tuesday.
The comments come as Lithuania debates whether to introduce universal military conscription in connection with fears about potential Russian aggression in the future.
Germany also is expanding in Lithuania, with a plan to permanently base a brigade there over the next few years. That initiative marks the first time Germany will station a force abroad since World War II.
The plan calls for the majority of a 5,000-troop brigade to deploy by 2026 and reach full operational capacity by the following year.
Budrys said local communities need to come to terms with “a new reality.”
“There will be more troops; there will be more allies,” he said. “They will be moving around with equipment, and there may be inconvenience.”
Positioned between Russian ally Belarus and Russia’s military exclave of Kaliningrad, Lithuania is potentially vulnerable terrain for security on NATO’s eastern flank and has been a focal point of allied deterrence efforts.
The country is also among the most committed supporters of Ukraine’s efforts to beat back the full-scale invasion that Russia launched in February 2022. And last year’s NATO summit was held in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.
