US troops’ return to Baltics sends deterrent message to Russia

About 1,000 US troops are expected to return to Lithuania in about a month, six months after their continuous presence there ended. Their return would send a strong deterrence message to Russia, experts say, LRT reported.

The force is expected to include a heavy battalion with Abrams tanks, while an engineering battalion will replace the artillery unit. President Gitanas Nausėda said the tank battalion would remain. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said the engineers would help develop Lithuania’s national division and strengthen protection of border defensive lines.

Retired Colonel Gintaras Ažubalis said the engineers would bring equipment Lithuania does not have, at a time when its own engineering regiment in Kaunas is still developing. Former army chief Jonas Vytautas Žukas said the engineers would provide logistical support to help the tank battalion operate effectively. He added that Lithuania is developing its own artillery capabilities.

Former army chiefs said the returning contingent would number about 1,000, but it remains unclear whether there will be another break after a nine-month rotation. Žukas and former army chief Arvydas Pocius said the rotation had not been described as a one-off deployment and expected it to continue.

US troops have been stationed in Lithuania in growing numbers over the past decade, rising from several hundred to more than 1,000 after Russia invaded Ukraine. Their continuous mission ended in June, leaving a newly built facility for the troops empty for six months. The forests around Pabradė are already familiar to US forces.

Estonia has also secured the temporary return of US troops. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna called their presence on NATO’s eastern flank important for security and said it sent a clear message to Russian President Vladimir Putin against aggression.

It is not yet clear where the troops returning to Lithuania will come from. Ažubalis said they could be drawn from units based in Poland. Security and defence expert Giedrimas Jeglinskas said the deployment was connected to US forces there, as Washington and Warsaw discuss establishing a permanent base in Poland. The talks have been under way for six months, and the US president has said progress has been made.

Former NATO defence official Gerlinde Niehus said the plans could involve either a permanent US deployment sought by Poland, with about 5,000 additional troops, or a strengthened rotational force of about 10,000. She said the overall direction was to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank.

Lithuania has also proposed a permanent US base, with Kaunas saying the country already covers the costs of US troops stationed there. Former army chief Pocius said Lithuania should first establish the German brigade before turning to discussions about US forces.