Nausėda links Lockheed Martin meeting to US troop decision
Tuesday 22nd September 2026 on 20:15 in
Lithuania
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said his meeting with Lockheed Martin International President Jay Pitman may have contributed to the United States’ decision to deploy troops in Lithuania, LRT reported.
Nausėda said the meeting, held on Monday, focused on opportunities to implement defence industry projects in Lithuania.
“I think this gave the United States the impression that Lithuania is a reliable and strong partner worth cooperating with,” the president told reporters. He had previously said that many factors could have influenced the US decision.
In September last year, Nausėda met Michael Williamson, then president of Lockheed Martin International, in New York and invited the company to invest in Lithuania. The Lithuanian branch of Lockheed Martin Global was registered in March 2026.
Lockheed Martin has also recently expanded its industrial cooperation in Europe. Together with Germany’s Rheinmetall, the company is seeking to localise ATACMS production. It is also developing an initiative with NATO allies to establish a PAC-3 missile maintenance centre in Europe.
US to deploy 1,000 troops to Lithuania
During a working visit to the United States, Nausėda said on Tuesday that he had received confirmation that a new rotation of US troops was already on its way to Lithuania.
Last week, NBC News reported that the Pentagon was considering withdrawing about 25,000 US troops from Europe. Under one scenario, the number of US troops stationed in Europe could fall to 40,000. About 80,000 US troops are currently deployed in Europe, including around 10,000 in Poland.
More than 1,000 US troops and their equipment began leaving Lithuania in early June after their rotation ended. A new group would normally have arrived after the previous rotation, but its deployment was delayed this time.
The United States began regularly rotating forces in the Baltic states and Poland after Russia invaded Ukraine four years ago. US heavy battalions have been rotated in Lithuania since 2019.