German soldiers are coming to Lithuania for exercises

Soldiers of the 91st Infantry Battalion of the German Enhanced Vigilance Activity Brigade (eVA) assigned to Lithuania are arriving from Poland, where they participated in the first part of the exercise “Grand Eagle 24”, trained and assessed the needs and challenges of military mobility when crossing national borders.

The second part of these exercises will take place in Lithuania.

Both of these military exercises are part of NATO’s Steadfast Defender 24 exercise taking place across Europe this spring.

The German High Vigilance Brigade assigned to Lithuania has been on duty since 2022. The front command element of the brigade is also stationed in the country.

Last year, the command of the eVA was taken over by the 21st brigade of the German army. It consists of about 4 thousand. soldiers

At the same time, Berlin and Vilnius have agreed on the permanent deployment of a brigade of German soldiers in the country. This is planned to be done by 2027. In total, about 5 thousand will move to Lithuania. soldiers and civilians.

In preparation for receiving the brigade, infrastructure is currently being sought for thousands of German soldiers and their families.

German troops are being deployed in Lithuania in response to the increased Russian threat after Kremlin forces attacked Ukraine.