A New Era
Berlin celebrates the formal commissioning of the Lithuanian Brigade with a military roll call. Merz and Pistorius seize the opportunity of the first permanent German military base in Eastern Europe to accuse Russia of revisionism.
BERLIN/VILNIUS (own report) – On May 22, Germany celebrated the formal commissioning of its Lithuanian Brigade, with a ceremonial military roll call in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. On paper, this brigade has existed as a Bundeswehr unit since April 1. Berlin intends to station a total of 5,000 soldiers in Lithuania by 2027. Germany’s Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius had announced intensive maneuvers for next year. The German government additionally plans to integrate the German commanded NATO multinational battlegroup into the Lithuanian Brigade and thereby into the Bundeswehr command structure. In his speech in Vilnius, Merz reiterated that Germany will do everything to become the strongest military power in Europe. In the Lithuanian capital, both the German chancellor and the minister of defense accused Russia of aggressive revisionism – of all things, during the military roll call commissioning the Bundeswehr’s first permanent foreign base, on territory that had once been the Soviet Union – and in the immediate vicinity of Russia’s border.
Combat-Ready by 2027
The Bundeswehr’s reports on the ceremonial commissioning of the Lithuanian Brigade are – as is often the case – rather heavily infused with propaganda. For example, it describes how young and old “strolled” across the Lithuanian capital’s central square, “surrounded by German and Lithuanian combat vehicles.”[1] German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius “paraded the length of the troop formation.”[2] In fact, the establishment of the Bundeswehr’s first permanently stationed heavy combat brigade dates back a few years. Its first mile stone was the signing of a so-called Road Map in Vilnius, in late 2023. At the time, the defense ministers of Germany and Lithuania had agreed that Vilnius would be responsible for the establishment of the civilian and military infrastructure necessary for the German military base, while Berlin would station troops “gradually and in accordance with the necessary infrastructure available.” The first contingent of around 20 soldiers of the Lithuanian Brigade began deployment in the spring of 2024. By the end of 2024, they numbered already 150;[3] 400 soldiers of the planned brigade are now stationed in Lithuania.[4] The Bundeswehr is planning increase the contingent to “4,800 male and female soldiers and 200 civilian members of the Bundeswehr over the next two years.[5] The German government aims to reach “full operational capability, i.e., combat readiness” [6] by 2027. The first maneuver projects have already begun and will be gradually intensified.”[7]
Under German Command
The Lithuanian Brigade is commanded by Christoph Hubert, who, already in 2017, had set up the German-commanded NATO Battlegroup Lithuania. Germany has had a permanent military presence in Lithuania since, however, the battlegroup’s troops rotate every six months. Six other nations contribute to the multinational battlegroup, which the Bundeswehr explicitly emphasizes is “under German command.”[8] However, the Lithuanian defense ministry’s webpage states that the unit is a component of, and is under the command of the Iron Wolf Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.[9] Germany has now announced that next year it intends to integrate the multinational battlegroup into its Lithuanian Brigade – the Bundeswehr’s 45th Armored Brigade. This would mean that, alongside troops from the Netherlands –who are already integrated in the German armed forces,[10] – Berlin would now not only place Belgian, French, Croat, Luxembourgian and Norwegian contingents under its command, but, de facto, integrate them into the Bundeswehr. It is not yet publicly known, if concrete agreements have already been reached with the respective allied states. For years Berlin has been relying on the integration of units from foreign countries to enhance its military potential. (german-foreign-policy.com reported.[11]) This not only increases its firepower, but it also creates facts, in the perspective of an EU army of the future – under German command.
New Self-Confidence
In his speech in Lithuania, Chancellor Merz reiterated to an international audience that Berlin’s arms buildup’s objective is to make the Bundeswehr the “strongest conventional army in Europe.” The allies are “virtually demanding this,”[12] Merz alleges. For his part, Defense Minister Pistorius declared that with its military base in Lithuania, Germany is now assuming “leadership responsibility”’ within NATO. According to the Bundeswehr’s internet page, Germany is committed to “security in Central and Eastern Europe.”[13] Germany’s claim to military leadership is however, not unchallenged among European allies. In a recent press conference – with German Chancellor Merz – Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk also announced that Poland seeks to become the strongest military power in Europe.[14] By using such ambiguous terms as “responsibility” in reference to “security” on behalf of “the allies,” Berlin has always sought to dissimulate its true power-political ambitions behind its arms buildup, on the one hand, and its ongoing eastward political and economic expansion, on the other. By expanding its military potential and military presence in Eastern Europe, Berlin is consolidating its claim to being a leading European power, and simultaneously positioning itself against Russia in Eastern Europe, under the guise of NATO, and additionally reinforcing its position vis à vis the United States – inside as well as outside of NATO.
Those in a Glasshouse
For Germany and its military, the deployment of the German brigade in Lithuania was “a step into a new era” [15] declared Chancellor Merz in Vilnius. The Bundeswehr wrote, in reference to the ceremonial roll call, “everyone” was “aware of the momentous significance of this ceremony: for the first time since World War II a major German military unit is permanently stationed abroad.”[16] Merz thanked the Lithuanian population for their “friendship,” “especially in light of the suffering that National Socialist Germany imposed on Lithuania.” He failed to mention that large segments of the Lithuanian population had, in fact, collaborated with Nazi Germany and actively participated in the annihilation of Lithuania’s Jews, while the suffering was mainly inflicted on the Lithuanian Jews.[17] To Merz and Pistorius not a word about the Jewish victims was worth an utterance. Instead, they used their speeches in Vilnius to accuse Russia of “aggressive revisionism;” precisely on the day, German soldiers were marching through Vilnius to celebrate their first German permanent foreign military base – on territory that had once been in the Soviet Union – and on a day when in the Lithuanian capital, the German Chancellor claimed to the world public that Germany should become the strongest conventional military power in Europe. Defense Minister Pistorius added the message: “Germany is ready to lead.”[18]
[1] Litauen – Panzerbrigade 45 wächst auf. bundeswehr.de 22.05.2025.
[2] Aufstellungsappell der Panzerbrigade 45 in Litauen. Video auf bundeswehr.de vom 22.05.2025.
[3] Bundeswehr in Litauen: In großen Schritten zur deutschen Kampfbrigade. bundeswehr.de.
[4], [5] Litauen – Panzerbrigade 45 wächst auf. bundeswehr.de 22.05.2025.
[6] Die Bundeswehr hat eine neue Brigade. bundeswehr.de 01.04.2025.
[7] Bundeswehr in Litauen: In großen Schritten zur deutschen Kampfbrigade. bundeswehr.de.
[8] Abschreckung im Verbund: Die Multinational Battlegroup Lithuania. bundeswehr.de.
[9] NATO Multinational Battle Group. kariuomene.lt.
[10] See Neue Macht, neue Truppen.
[11] See Der deutsche Weg zur EU-Armee (III).
[12] Rede von Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz beim Aufstellungsappell der Brigade Litauen am 22.05.2025 in Vilnius.
[13] Bundeswehr in Litauen: In großen Schritten zur deutschen Kampfbrigade. bundeswehr.de.
[14] Pressekonferenz von Friedrich Merz und Donald Tusk am 07.05.2025.
[15] Rede von Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz beim Aufstellungsappell der Brigade Litauen am 22.05.2025 in Vilnius.
[16] Litauen – Panzerbrigade 45 wächst auf. bundeswehr.de 22.05.2025.
[17] See Shared Legacy.
[18] Rede von Verteidigungsminister Boris Pistorius beim Aufstellungsappell der Brigade Litauen am 22.05.2025 in Vilnius.
