Lithuania announces arrival of new US military contingent

A decision to deploy a new United States Armed Forces contingent to Lithuania has effectively already been made, Laurynas Kasčiūnas, deputy chair of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence, said, according to Report, citing Lithuanian radio station Žinių radijas.

"It is not excluded that a slightly smaller contingent may be deployed to Lithuania, but overall the status quo will be maintained. An informal decision on this has already been made," he said.

Kasčiūnas added that the arrival of US troops is expected during the summer.

Since 2019, a rotational US heavy battalion of around 1,000 personnel has been stationed in the Baltic state, equipped with Abrams tanks, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and Paladin artillery systems. In November 2024, it was decided to shift the rotation to a continuous presence model without gaps between unit changes. In early June this year, the withdrawal of the battalion from Lithuanian territory began, while its replacement has not yet arrived.