Spiegel: Lithuania caught by surprise by Germany’s plan to station a Bundeswehr brigade in the country
Financing the infrastructure for the deployment of an additional German military contingent in Lithuania poses a “serious financial problem” for Vilnius, which was caught by surprise by Berlin’s decision, Der Spiegel reported, citing “confidential” correspondence between the German embassy in Vilnius and the federal government.
“In Lithuanian government circles, fears are being secretly voiced about funding concerns in connection with the deployment of a German brigade in Lithuania,” the publication quotes the contents of a letter from the German embassy’s military attaché.
According to Der Spiegel, Lithuania’s financial difficulties are explained by Vilnius’ desire to invest significantly in the modernisation of its own army, as well as by the fact that it “was taken by surprise by the decision of (German Defence Minister Boris – ed.) Pistorius”.
In the past, Berlin had insisted that the brigade should mainly remain in Germany rather than be permanently stationed in the Baltics, but Pistorius changed his mind in the summer, which “surprised the Lithuanians”. According to a letter from the German embassy, this caused Vilnius’ financial planning for 2024 to be “disrupted”.
According to the document, Lithuania is convinced that it should pay exclusively for military infrastructure, while the country should participate “proportionally” in financing the construction of living quarters for German personnel, as the standards of the Bundeswehr are “significantly” higher compared to the Lithuanian army.
As the article notes, Lithuanian representatives do not consider themselves responsible for building schools and kindergartens for the families of German soldiers.
“In addition to providing land, Vilnius says that these construction costs will be 100 per cent paid by Germany,” the letter reads.
At the same time, Pistorius during his visit to Lithuania, according to the publication, did not emphasise the problem of financing the contingent, as a result of which the “sensitive issue” was postponed to a later date.
Earlier, Lithuanian Defence Ministers Arvydas Anušauskas and Pistorius signed an action plan in Vilnius to deploy an additional Bundeswehr contingent to Lithuania by 2027. It is expected that five thousand German military personnel with their families will arrive in the country, they will serve at training grounds in Rukla and Rudninkai, and live in Vilnius and Kaunas. As reported by the Lithuanian Defence Ministry, the FRG intends to deploy a heavy brigade with three manoeuvre battalions and the necessary combat support and supply units in Lithuania.
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