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“In mid-September, a Polish battalion arrives for two weeks for a brief exercise in Pabradė, followed by a break of several weeks or a month, and then deployment is planned for at least the majority of the battalion in Pabradė in late June next year, “Karoblis told BNS.
For the first time in an eight-month rotation, the Americans sent a battalion of soldiers to Lithuania last year: Hundreds of American troops were in Pabradė from October to June this year.
According to Carobli, the deployment was viewed by the Americans as “complete success,” and became the basis for further work.
The Secretary of Defense detailed the United States’ plans shortly after United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper announced that he saw the possibility of sending additional troops to the Baltic countries, reducing the contingent in Germany.
Without going into details about specific capabilities, Karoblis said that US troops are still in Lithuania at the moment, but that Lithuania is looking for a larger scale “to have a greater deterrent and defensive effect.”
“We have repeatedly stated our position in the United States that we want the United States to consider Lithuania as a permanent place for the deployment of its forces,” the minister said.
Karoblis emphasized that Lithuania must invest in infrastructure, creating conditions for the deployment of US troops.
“Implementations are definitely not a fact. We must work hard to ensure the best possible conditions for US troops to carry out their tasks. We will continue to work in this direction,” said the minister.
US officials also constantly emphasize that the preconditions for the arrival of US troops are Lithuanian investments in national defense.
Lithuania is one of only nine NATO countries to have reached the agreed defense financing rate of 2%. gross domestic product.
To deter Russia, a German-led NATO international battalion has also been deployed to Lithuania since 2017. It currently has more than 1,000 troops.
It is not allowed to publish, quote or reproduce the information of the BNS news agency in the media and on the Internet without the written consent of UAB “BNS”.
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