Pistorius says some soldiers may be ordered to serve in Lithuania brigade as specialist roles face shortfalls
Boris Pistorius acknowledged that the Bundeswehr may need to order personnel to its new permanent brigade in Lithuania, especially in technical and logistics roles, while construction of the base runs ahead of schedule.
Staffing the brigade
Germany is building up a permanent brigade of around 5,000 troops in Lithuania, a central project for strengthening NATO's eastern flank. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, speaking during a visit to a Bundeswehr exercise in the country, said the majority of soldiers are expected to volunteer, but a percentage will likely have to be ordered to serve there. "Entscheidend ist für mich, dass die Brigade am Ende steht und ihren Auftrag erfüllen kann," he told ARD's "Bericht aus Berlin".
What matters to me is that the brigade stands at the end and can fulfil its mission.
Shortfalls are anticipated above all in specialist areas such as technical services, logistics, and NBC defence, where the pool of potential applicants is much smaller than for combat troops. If volunteer numbers fall short, the Bundeswehr will first hold personnel discussions. "Und im Zweifel wird dann auch eine Verpflichtung ausgesprochen," Pistorius said.
Infrastructure progress
The brigade's main base will be in Rudninkai, near the border with Belarus. The site, a forested area roughly 35 kilometres from Vilnius, was declared a Lithuanian army training ground by special law in May 2022, shortly after Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine. A military town is being built from scratch for the German troops, with barracks, weapons and ammunition depots, logistics areas, and halls for tanks and other combat vehicles located just 1.5 kilometres from the centre of the 500-inhabitant village.
- Forest area in Rudninkai declared a Lithuanian army training ground by special law after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
- Pistorius visits Bundeswehr exercise; construction first phase reported ten months ahead of schedule, first buildings standing.
Construction of what is the largest military infrastructure project in Lithuania's history is proceeding at pace, with the first buildings already standing. Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas told Die Welt before Pistorius's visit that the first construction phase is ten months ahead of schedule. "Das heißt, dass wir sehr weit beim Aufbau der Infrastruktur sind und früher mit der zweiten Phase beginnen können," he said.
That means we are very far along with the infrastructure and can start the second phase earlier.
Strategic context
The brigade is designed to contribute to deterrence and defence of alliance territory in the event of a threat. The Lithuanian government has repeatedly assured that the infrastructure, financed by Vilnius, will be ready in time for the brigade's deployment. Pistorius stressed that the readiness of the unit on the eastern flank is the overriding priority.
