US military battalion to remain in Lithuania indefinitely

LONDON

Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurinas Kasciunas said that the American military battalion will remain in the Baltic country indefinitely and not until the end of 2025 as previously planned, local media reported Thursday.

Kasciunas stated that he has been reassured by US officials that the deployment of forces will remain unchanged beyond 2025.

“During my visit to Washington, I received a strong and clear confirmation from the US National Security Council and the Pentagon that the US presence in Lithuania is indefinite and the deployment of forces in the region will remain unchanged,” he was quoted as saying by the national broadcaster LRT.

The defense minister further emphasized that Washington appreciates the conditions of military presence and training in the Baltic state, which according to him ensures military preparedness for any scenario.

Kasciunas stressed that he sent a clear message to the US that its presence in Lithuania is indispensable and that together with NATO, the German brigade, and the national forces, “it is the necessary combat power that can reliably deter Russia,” the minister added.

In Oct. 2022, the Defense Ministry announced that a US battalion would be deployed in Lithuania until the end of 2025 after the US officials approved a rotational force plan for the Baltic states.

US battalions have been rotating in the country since 2019 following the deployment of American rotational companies in 2014–2017.

Washington reinforced its rotational battalions by sending in more troops and equipment after Moscow launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022.

The minister also said that the US had advanced the delivery of Javelin anti-tank missiles to the country, saying that they will arrive in Lithuania later this month, LRT reported.

A German-led 1,500-strong multinational battalion has been stationed in Lithuania since 2017, however, last month Germany sent its first soldiers to set up a permanent military base in Lithuania.

The base will be fully operational with nearly 5,000 troops by 2027 as part of a NATO effort to deter Russia from attacking the Baltic region.