Kosovo and Lithuania - the army leads

On March 24, 2025, the German Army assumed responsibility for the national leadership of German forces in Kosovo and the Multinational Battlegroup Lithuania (MN BG LTU). In Kosovo, this includes advising the Kosovo Force (KFOR) and the NATO Advisory and Liaison Team (NALT). 

In the Osnabrück Decree of 2024, the various branches of the armed forces were assigned clear competencies and responsibilities. For the Army, this means taking over the Land dimension in international crisis management (IKM) from the Joint Operations Command of the Bundeswehr. Following the takeover of the EUFOR Althea mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina in February, this process has been completed with the assumption of the two missions in Kosovo and the similar commitment in Lithuania with the Multinational Battlegroup. Now, land-based operations of the Bundeswehr are led by the Army. 

To fulfill the special responsibility towards soldiers in land-based operations, the Army has established a "Land Component Command+ (LCC+)" in Schwielowsee. This is a staff unit that ensures the leadership of the land forces. The KFOR mission within NATO is the longest-running operation of the Bundeswehr. Initiated in 1999 by a United Nations Security Council resolution, the NATO mission aims to establish a secure environment in Kosovo to enable the conditions for the establishment of a civilian peace order. Following years of shrinking contingents, security forces were reinforced in 2023 after unrest in Northern Kosovo. Currently, around 4,800 soldiers from 28 nations are serving in Kosovo, with around 300 of them from Germany. The current mandate ceiling is 400 soldiers. Most recently, the mandate was extended for another year by the German Bundestag on June 27, 2024. The NATO Advisory and Liaison Team - known as NALT - is headquartered in the Kosovo capital, Pristina. It is an independent multinational advisory group led by a German Brigadier General. NALT is tasked with advising the Kosovo security forces, focusing on building national capabilities in logistics, procurement and budget management, military development and planning, and leadership development. 

The advisory takes place at various levels, from the Kosovo Ministry of Defense down to individual units. The advisory group consists of around 50 civilian and military members from 14 nations. The Multinational Battlegroup Lithuania - formerly known as the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup Lithuania - was established by NATO in response to the Russian annexation of Crimea. In addition to the German-led battlegroup in Lithuania, there are three other multinational battlegroups in Latvia, Estonia, and Poland. Since January 2017, the German contribution consists of a battlegroup core with mechanized and infantry forces, a staff element, logistics, medical care, and maintenance. If the situation or exercises require it, additional troops such as engineers or artillery can be relocated to Lithuania. Overall, the MN BG LTU consists of around 1,600 soldiers, with about 1,000 being German. 

Additional forces from the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Norway, Croatia, and Belgium are involved. Other nations participate on a rotating basis. Participating nations rotate their personnel, materials, and equipment at regular intervals. German forces rotate twice a year. Participation in the Multinational Battlegroup Lithuania is considered a recognized mission and therefore does not constitute the deployment of armed forces under the Parliament Participation Act. Authorization by the German Bundestag is not required. 

Background information on missions and recognized mission as well as current contributions:

• Der Einsatz im Kosovo
• Bundeswehr in Kosovo 2024 (KFOR-Einsatz)
• Mit Rat und Tat an der Seite der kosovarischen Sicherheitskräfte
• eFP: Bundeswehr verteidigt die Ostflanke des NATO-Bündnisses