A Lithuanian service member buries a time capsule Aug. 19, 2024, at a site in Rudninkai, Lithuania, where a military base is being built to house a German combat brigade. Behind him are senior German Defense Ministry official Nils Hilmer, left, Lithuanian defense chief Raimundas Vaiksnoras, Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas and Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte. (Lithuanian Defense Ministry/X)
A NATO military base is now under construction in Lithuania near its border with Russian ally Belarus that is set to house thousands of German troops when it’s completed in 2027.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday in Rudninkai, Lithuania’s Defense Ministry said the same day on X, formerly known as Twitter. Of the roughly 4,800 service members and 200 civilian contractors Germany has committed to send to Lithuania as part of a new defense brigade, about 80% of them will be housed at the new base, according to the ministry.
Lithuania is expected to spend over $1 billion over the next three years to build the Rudninkai facility, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported, quoting Gen. Raimundas Vaiksnoras, Lithuania’s defense chief.
U.S. Army battalions have been rotating through Lithuania since 2019, where a base in the town of Pabrade serves as a hub. That site is about 50 miles northeast of Rudninkai and also near the border with Belarus.
The U.S. rotations were originally expected to last until the end of next year. However, in May, Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas told national broadcaster LRT that the rotations would continue and that “the U.S. presence in Lithuania is indefinite.”
In addition to housing troops, the new installation will serve as a storage and maintenance facility for military equipment such as tanks and have various shooting ranges, Reuters reported.
Construction of the Rudninkai base is a testament to the continued fears of Russian expansionism following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
Construction work begins in Rudninkai, Lithuania, on Aug. 19, 2024, on a $1 billion NATO base that will eventually house thousands of German military personnel. The work is expected to finish in 2027. (Lithuanian Defense Ministry/X)
Rudninkai is about 12 miles from Belarus and a little over 100 miles east of the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
The European Union has described Belarus as a safe haven for the Russian army. Moscow keeps troops and equipment in Belarus and launches missile and drone attacks against Ukraine from Belarusian territory.
Russian forces have also used Belarusian roads and railways to reach Ukraine, according to a report by the Atlantic Council, a U.S.-based think tank.
Lithuania has boosted its defense spending to 3% of gross domestic product this year, surpassing NATO’s target of 2%.
The new German brigade, known as Panzerbrigade 45, will mark Germany’s first permanent military deployment abroad since World War II.
A group of about 20 Germans supporting Panzerbrigade 45 arrived in Lithuania in April to assist with the initial setup.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned at the time that a larger presence by the German military in Lithuania would escalate tensions.
