Lithuania on Monday began construction of a military base that will house up to 4,000 combat-ready German soldiers when it is completed by the end of 2027. It is the first permanent foreign deployment of the German military since World War II war, reports Reuters, quoted by News.bg.
Germany committed to deploying troops to Lithuania, which borders Russia, last year. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius compared the decision to sending Allied forces into West Germany during the Cold War to defend Western Europe in the event of a Soviet attack.
Lithuania's defense chief, Raimundas Vaixnoras, has estimated that the country will spend more than €1 billion over the next three years to develop the base, in one of the biggest construction projects in its history.
This is a "huge investment" for a nation of 2.9 million people with an economy one-tenth the size of Germany's, Weixnorras said on the sidelines of a groundbreaking ceremony.
"The brigade will work as a reassurance to our population and as a deterrent to push the Russians out," he added.
The Rudninkai base, near the capital Vilnius and just 20 km from Russia's ally Belarus, will house up to 4,000 troops, warehouses, maintenance bays for tanks and other equipment, and firing ranges of all sizes. About a thousand more German military and civilian contractors will be deployed to other sites in Lithuania outside the base.
However, only about a fifth of the buildings in Rudninkai have entered into construction contracts, raising concerns that they will not be ready in time.
Defense Minister Laurinas Kastiuvinas told reporters that his ministry would award contracts for the rest of the work by the end of this year, when his government's terms expire.
The German government has asked parliament for 2.93 billion euros to order 105 Leopard 2 A8 tanks, partly to equip the Lithuanian base, according to a confidential draft budget seen by Reuters in June.
Lithuania increased its defense spending to 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) this year, and the government of Prime Minister Ingrid Šimonė has raised taxes to support defense needs, including base building, over the next few years.
"If we are not protected, there is no security for them," Shimonite told reporters at the ceremony, referring to Germany.