Germany orders troops into Lithuania as Russia threatens NATO’s Eastern flank

Germany is preparing to order up to 1,000 serving soldiers into its permanent NATO brigade in Lithuania, in a sign of the growing pressure on European militaries to strengthen the alliance’s eastern flank as fears of a confrontation with Russia intensify.

Defence minister Boris Pistorius has approved compulsory postings after the Bundeswehr failed to recruit enough volunteers for the Lithuania-based unit, according to a report by Bild on Monday.

The measure could begin this autumn and would affect fewer than 1,000 soldiers, according to several sources cited by the German newspaper. Germany’s Defence Ministry was expected to brief senior members of the Bundestag’s Defence Committee on Monday.

The move does not amount to a general mobilisation or the reintroduction of civilian conscription. Instead, serving Bundeswehr personnel who have not volunteered could be assigned to the brigade.

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Only about 60 per cent of the required positions have so far been filled voluntarily. Shortages are particularly acute among IT specialists, logistics personnel, cooks and enlisted troops.

Compulsory assignments could currently cover as much as 20 per cent of the brigade’s positions, although the Bundeswehr hopes to reduce that proportion to about 10 per cent by the end of September through further recruitment.

“Voluntariness remains the top principle,” Bild reported. “But to guarantee the brigade’s operational readiness, compulsory assignments can no longer be avoided.”

The deadline adds urgency to the process because soldiers selected for deployment must be notified, potentially challenge their assignments through legal procedures and make arrangements for relocation.

Germany intends to have 4,800 soldiers and about 200 civilian personnel permanently stationed in Lithuania by the end of 2027.

The 45th Armored Brigade Lithuania will be the first German combat brigade permanently based outside Germany since the Bundeswehr was established in 1955. The roughly 5,000-person heavy brigade is intended to reinforce NATO’s eastern defences following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Once fully operational, the formation is expected to operate thousands of soldiers and about 2,000 military vehicles.

Its strategic importance is considerable. Lithuania borders Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave and lies close to the Suwalki Gap, the narrow land corridor linking Poland with the Baltic states. NATO planners regard the area as particularly vulnerable in any conflict with Russia.

Pistorius had previously argued that the brigade should be staffed primarily by volunteers. During a visit to Lithuania in June, however, he acknowledged that compulsory assignments might become necessary and said fewer than 1,000 soldiers could ultimately be affected.

The decision comes as Poland simultaneously raises its military alert following Russian activity close to its border.

On Sunday, a Russian drone attacked the locomotive of a Kyiv-Warsaw passenger train at Yahodyn railway station in Ukraine’s Volyn region, close to Poland. Warsaw scrambled fighter aircraft and Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an emergency meeting with ministers, military commanders and intelligence chiefs.

“The coming weeks and months will be a period of very intense activity on the Russian side, and unfortunately, we cannot rule out that this escalation will also affect our territory,” Tusk warned.

For Germany, the staffing difficulties underline a wider European dilemma: governments are rapidly expanding military commitments on NATO’s eastern frontier while struggling to generate the personnel required to make those commitments credible.