00:00 A historic signature. Germany and Lithuania sign a road map for the deployment of a German
00:06 Bundeswehr brigade to the Baltic country. For the first time since World War Two, the
00:11 German army will station soldiers permanently abroad. The reason? Russia poses a threat
00:16 to Europe as a whole, not just Ukraine. Some 4,800 German military personnel and 200 civilians
00:24 will make up the Lithuania Brigade.
00:27 The idea is to deter Russia from attacking the small Baltic countries, a potential threat
00:32 that the Western military alliance NATO is taking very seriously. With the Lithuania
00:36 Brigade, Germany aims to help strengthen NATO's eastern flank.
00:41 Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Bundeswehr has redefined its goals.
00:47 The focus is now on national defence and strengthening NATO.
00:52 Today is a milestone in that very new project and the very impressive project. I think we
00:57 signed the road map. This is absolutely new for Germany, absolutely new for the Bundeswehr.
01:02 It's the first time we do that. It's a huge challenge, but we are really willing to do
01:07 it and we are keen on being successful together with our Lithuanian friends.
01:13 Germany already leads NATO's multinational battle group in Lithuania of some 1,000 troops,
01:18 which will be integrated into the new brigade.
01:21 The German defence minister also used the occasion to thank the German soldiers stationed
01:25 already in Lithuania as part of a traditional Christmas troops visit.
01:30 It is hoped that the new German brigade will help secure NATO's eastern border. It will
01:35 likely be fully operational by 2027.
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