Yesterday, Lithuania began construction of a military base that should be completed in 2027, when it will be able to accommodate up to 4.000 combat-ready German soldiers, which represents the first permanent deployment of the German army on the territory of a foreign country since World War II.
Last year, Germany pledged to deploy troops to this NATO and European Union member, which borders Russia. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius compared the decision to the deployment of Allied forces in West Germany during the Cold War to defend Western Europe in the event of a Soviet attack.
Lithuanian Defense Chief Raimundas Vaikšnoras estimated that his country will invest more than one billion euros in the next three years to develop the base, in one of the largest construction projects in its history.
It is a "huge investment" for a nation of 2,9 million inhabitants, with an economy ten times smaller than Germany's, Vaikšnoras said. "The brigade will work as an encouragement to our population and as a deterrent to keep the Russians away," he added.
The base in Rudninkai, near the capital Vilnius and only 20 kilometers from the border with Belarus, Russia's ally, will accommodate up to 4.000 soldiers, will include warehouses and services for tanks and other equipment, as well as training grounds of various sizes. About a thousand additional German military and civilian contractors will be deployed elsewhere in Lithuania.
However, only about a fifth of the buildings in the complex at Rudninkai have been contracted for construction, raising fears that the base will not be ready in time.
Defense Minister Laurinas Kasčiunas said that his ministry will award contracts for the rest of the works by the end of this year, when his government's mandate ends.
Lithuania increased defense spending to 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) this year, and Prime Minister Ingrid Šimonita's government has raised taxes to support defense needs, including military base construction, over the next few years. "If we are not safe, there is no safety for them either," Simonite told reporters at yesterday's ceremony, referring to Germany.
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