Lithuania Constructs Major Military Base for German Troops

Lithuania has started building a military base to house up to 4,000 German troops by 2027. This marks Germany's first permanent foreign deployment since WWII. The base, costing over 1 billion euros, aims to strengthen NATO's Eastern front and deter Russian aggression.

Lithuania commenced the construction of a military base on Monday, set to house up to 4,000 combat-ready German troops by late 2027. This initiative marks Germany's first permanent foreign military deployment since World War Two.

Germany's commitment to station troops in Lithuania, a NATO and EU member bordering Russia, was confirmed last year. Boris Pistorius, Germany's Defence Minister, likened this decision to the Cold War-era deployment of allied forces in West Germany to protect Western Europe from the Soviet Union. Lithuanian chief of defence, Raimundas Vaiksnoras, projected that the country would invest over 1 billion euros in the project over the next three years, marking it as one of Lithuania's most significant construction endeavors.

The military base, situated in Rudninkai, near Vilnius and 20 km from Belarus, will host up to 4,000 troops and include storage, maintenance for tanks and other military equipment, and various shooting ranges. Despite initial progress, only about 20% of the facility is contracted for construction, causing concerns about meeting the 2027 completion goal.

(With inputs from agencies.)