Defense minister says US troop decisions in Poland raise hopes for Lithuania

Lithuania’s defense minister says the US decision to permanently station troops in Poland sends a positive signal for similar moves in Lithuania, LRT reports.

“If positive decisions are being made in Poland, it is natural to conclude that positive decisions will also be made in Lithuania,” Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas told LRT Radio on Thursday.

The White House last week approved a permanent US military presence in Poland, according to Marcin Przydacz, foreign policy advisor to Polish President Karol Nawrocki, following a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Poland currently hosts around 10,000 US troops—the second-largest American military contingent in Europe after Germany—though most are deployed on a rotational rather than permanent basis.

Kaunas noted that the US is currently reviewing its troop rotations in Europe, with the process nearing completion. He said specific timelines and dates are expected to be announced soon, adding that he has discussed the issue with NATO’s European commander, General Alexus Grynkewich, and US political leadership, receiving positive feedback.

In late June, Presidential Foreign Policy Advisor Asta Skaisgirytė said the US was expected to make a final decision on troop rotations in Lithuania within weeks. Earlier this summer, more than 1,000 US soldiers completed their rotation in Lithuania as Washington reassessed its force deployment in Europe.

Since 2019, the US has regularly deployed battalion-sized units to Lithuania. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Washington shifted its presence in Lithuania to a continuous rotational deployment. These enhanced battalions typically consist of 1,000 or more troops with various combat equipment. Lithuania has stated it is prepared to host up to 1,500 US soldiers.

Kaunas also addressed NATO’s decision to transition its Baltic air policing mission into an air defense mission, calling it a clear signal that the Alliance is prepared to defend every part of its airspace. “The air defense mission makes it very clear that we will defend every centimeter in the air, just as we defend every centimeter on the ground,” he said.

President Gitanas Nausėda previously described the mission’s reclassification as one of the key outcomes of the NATO summit in Ankara. The Baltic states have long pushed for the shift, which has grown more urgent amid increasing drone incursions. While authorities initially claimed the drones entering EU airspace were Ukrainian systems disoriented by Russia, recent assessments suggest Russia is deliberately redirecting Ukrainian drones toward Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and Finland.

NATO fighter jets currently deployed in the Baltics monitor Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea and patrol along the Alliance’s borders with Russia and Belarus. According to Kaunas, the decision grants NATO’s European commander additional authority and tools to ensure air defense, including the ability to redeploy dedicated air defense assets to member states facing greater threats. “Currently, the greatest tension is in the eastern part of NATO’s airspace,” he said.