Panzer Brigade 45 now in service

Today, on April 1st, Panzer Brigade 45 will be officially commissioned in Lithuania. The previous establishment staff will transition to the regular brigade staff with a military parade at the location in Vilnius. This officially establishes the brigade as a military unit of the German Army. As part of this process, the brigade will also receive its official coat of arms.

Furthermore, on this day, the Medical Center of the Lithuanian Brigade in Rokantiskés, as well as a Support Staff and a Signal Company in Nemenciné will be established. In the summer, there will be a formal commissioning ceremony in the Lithuanian public sphere.

Panzer Brigade 45 is the core component of the military and civilian units established in Lithuania under the umbrella term Brigade Lithuania. In the summer of 2023, Defense Minister Pistorius decided to permanently station a fully operational German combat brigade in Lithuania. This move signifies Germany's commitment within NATO.

By the end of 2025, around 500 members of the brigade will be serving in Lithuania. Depending on the completion of the necessary infrastructure by Lithuania, more troops from Germany will gradually be relocated until the target size of 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian staff is achieved.

Beyond Brigade Lithuania, the German Bundeswehr will be visible in Lithuania this year through various exercises: in May, the Rapid Forces Division will participate in the "Griffin Lightning" exercise with around 700 soldiers, as well as the "Swift Response" exercise with up to 500 soldiers. In September, Panzer Brigade 37 "Freistaat Sachsen" will participate in the "Grand Eagle II" exercise with up to 1,000 soldiers.

Germany and Lithuania are close partners in NATO and also work closely together in the European Union. Moreover, with the stationing of the German Panzer Brigade, the countries are pursuing a special bilateral project. It is the first time in history that the Bundeswehr is stationing a brigade abroad.

The establishment of the brigade began with the signing of the bilateral roadmap by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his Lithuanian counterpart on December 18, 2023. From April 2024, an advance command post was active on site, which grew into an establishment staff by the end of the year. This has now evolved into a brigade staff.

The Baltic state, with its three million inhabitants, lies exactly between the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Russia's ally Belarus. In this particularly exposed situation, Germany supports its ally: since 2017 as part of the Multinational Battlegroup Lithuania and in the future with the permanently stationed Brigade Lithuania.