First German brigade soldiers to arrive at Rūdninkai military base this autumn

Lithuania’s Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas announced that the first soldiers of the German brigade will arrive at the Rūdninkai military base this autumn, as construction of the second phase begins.

“I want to thank our soldiers here. The first phase, which will even be completed ten months ahead of schedule, and the first soldiers will arrive this autumn. The second phase will also start smoothly for our soldiers. I hope we will continue to move forward like this,” Kaunas said on Friday in Rūdninkai.

He emphasised Lithuania’s commitment to national security and its German allies, stating: “We have the competence, we have the resources, we have a sense of urgency. This demonstrates our strong commitment to national security and our German allies. Our common goal is to create all the priority infrastructure for the German brigade in Lithuania by the end of next year.”

Kaunas compared the scale of the Rūdninkai military base to iconic buildings such as New York’s Empire State Building or the Pentagon in the US. “But we will be able to show that we can do even better. We really have that ambition,” he said.

The second phase of construction, worth approximately €1.3 billion, officially began on Friday. The project is being developed through a public-private partnership and is divided into three parts. During this phase, residential facilities, garages, workshops, canteens, warehouses, parade grounds, headquarters, fuel stations, and training buildings will be constructed. Some of these will include modern simulation training systems.

The military base in Rūdninkai will cover 190 hectares and is being built to accommodate a German brigade by the end of 2027.