On the way to a fully equipped, deployable brigade, Panzerbrigade 45 “Lithuania” is now one milestone closer: with the first Brigade Exercise Freedom Shield I in May and June, a new series of exercises will begin, in which the Lithuania Brigade will henceforth prove its warfighting capability twice a year. For this, 3,000 soldiers, of whom 2,900 are German, and around 800 vehicles from eight NATO states will be gathered in Pabrade.
The two battalions from Augustdorf and Oberviechtach, which will be completely stationed in Lithuania next year, have transferred their Leopard main battle tanks and Puma infantry fighting vehicles to the Baltic region by ferry or rail transport. The soldiers train under real conditions with all elements of the modern battlefield: drones, mortars, artillery, attack helicopters, main battle tanks, and infantry fighting vehicles.
Panzerbrigade 45 to be fully combat-ready by 2027
At the end of January, Panzerbataillon 203 from Augustdorf and Panzergrenadierbataillon 122 from Oberviechtach were subordinated to Panzerbrigade 45. At the beginning of February, the multinational NATO eFP Battlegroup Lithuania also came under brigade command. The battlegroup is thus a permanent and more fixed part of the Lithuania Brigade, but will continue to rotate biannually in the future as well. Germany’s role as the framework nation remains unchanged.
The Federal Minister of Defence decided on 26 June 2023 to permanently station a brigade in Lithuania, in order to expand Germany’s military engagement within the NATO framework in the wake of the Zeitenwende and to take on greater responsibility in the alliance. The first milestones were reached with the official activation parade in May 2025 in Vilnius and the establishment of the brigade staff’s leadership and training capability in November 2025.
By 2027, Panzerbrigade 45 is to grow to around 5,000 soldiers and civilian staff. It is already firmly integrated into the German Army and reports to the 10th Panzer Division, with its headquarters based in Veitshöchheim.
