German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has marked Berlin’s first permanent foreign troop deployment since World War II by visiting Lithuania. The move is aimed at bolstering European defenses against a hostile Russia and comes in response to the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
A new armoured brigade, the 45th tank brigade, will be formed with 4,800 German soldiers and 200 civilian staff. The unit will protect NATO’s eastern flank and is scheduled to reach full operational capacity by 2027. Merz said that Germany is determined to defend alliance territory against any aggression, citing the security of Baltic allies as a matter of national interest.
The deployment has been welcomed by European partners, who see it as a continuation of the “Zeitenwende” defense policy set out by his predecessor Olaf Scholz. Merz’s muscular rhetoric has been praised for its commitment to building Europe’s strongest conventional army. However, the move also poses challenges, including finding enough personnel willing to serve in Lithuania.
Merz assured that Germany will reach a NATO goal of spending 5% of gross domestic product on defense by 2032, ahead of the country with the largest economy. The German Chancellor also stated that his government is ready to defend every square inch of NATO territory and has pledged to work with allies to strengthen European defenses.
The move comes amid tensions between Germany and the US over military spending and Trump’s comments on NATO. Merz denied any indication that the US would withdraw troops from Europe, but acknowledged the need for sustained cooperation between allies to address security challenges.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/22/germany-anti-russian-defence-nato-lithuania-friedrich-merz