Tanks, infrastructure, uniforms
Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania costs at least eleven billion
April 24, 2024, 5:27 p.m
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The Bundeswehr wants to station almost 5,000 soldiers in Lithuania by the end of 2027. Financially, this will be a serious undertaking – around eleven billion euros will probably be necessary for a number of investments.
Setting up a German combat brigade for Lithuania will cost around eleven billion euros. A representative of Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’ house said this at the meeting of the Bundestag’s Defense Committee, as several participants in the meeting reported to “Spiegel”.
Accordingly, one billion euros is earmarked for annual operating costs, four billion euros for the purchase of large equipment such as tanks and six billion euros for further investments – for example in the construction of infrastructure or for the purchase of uniforms. The total does not include costs for foreign allowances, which are intended to attract around 4,800 soldiers and around 200 civilians to serve in Lithuania for several years.
At the beginning of April, an advance team from the brigade traveled to Lithuania. The combat group should be fully operational by the end of 2027. According to “Spiegel”, the brigade for the Baltics will consist of the 122 Panzergrenadier Battalion from Oberviechtach in Bavaria, the 203 Panzer Battalion from Augustdorf in North Rhine-Westphalia and the multinational EFP Battlegroup Lithuania, which is already active in the country.
According to the report, the ministry representative in the committee also admitted that numerous financing issues with the Lithuanian government were still unresolved. This involves the costs of daycare and school programs for the children of soldiers stationed there and also the financing of the construction of accommodation and training areas for the troops.