Dear Vice-Minister, could you give a brief overview of what the Baltic Defence Line that was announced in 2024 is?

“In the three Baltic States we have developed the Baltic Defence Line and corporation has begun with Poland. There are two key objectives that we have: The first one is to coordinate efforts to strengthen the border [with Russia and Belarus] according to our defence plans. The second one is to draw from EU funding for defence capabilities. We are actively working together to coordinate our activities at the military engineering level for the implementation of the Baltic Defence Line and identifying geographical points where countries might have obstacles. We aim to secure the eastern flank of NATO and the eastern flank of the European Union. We work together to avoid any misunderstandings and to be sure that every point of the eastern borders is safe.”

The Baltic Defence Line is meant to be completed over a span of 10 years, counting from its launch in 2024. This is a long timeline given that a Russian aggression might be occurring within a few years. Can you speak to the type of measures that have already been taken or will be taken over the next 2 years?

“We are not saying that all of the Baltic Defence Line will be installed in 10 years time. We are acting now. Probably, you have heard our President announcing that over the next 10 years Lithuania is going to spend €1.1 billion on counter-mobility. We already started investing in that. For example, we are completing the installation of 27 engineering parks, and we are preparing road and bridge blockings, restoring ditches, limiting the cutting of forests, etc. At the same time, we corporate with local governments and we invest in strengthening civil security. This is all part of counter-mobility. This is an ongoing project and we will act according to the geopolitical situation. We plan to increase the number of engineering parks up to 50 and increase the amount of engineering equipment in the parks. We are also talking about how to block the Port of Klaipeda, using border control points. We also coordinate with Lithuanian Railways to prepare railway lines where necessary. It is a holistic defence and counter-mobility approach.”

In June 2023, German Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius, announced the stationing of a German brigade in Lithuania. The brigade is meant to have full operational capacity by 2027. Can you tell us briefly what their role is and how it is different from other NATO forces in the country?

“I heard the president of Germany saying a beautiful phrase on a visit to Lithuania: ‘Lithuanian security is European security’. And this is essential for us. We are a grateful to our German partners who decided to invest, who decided to deploy their troops to Lithuania and to help protect not only Lithuania, but the European and NATO eastern flank. We are investing €2 billion into infrastructure that is only dedicated to the German brigade. We are also discussing social and cultural cooperation and deepening any other kind of cooperation between our two states. This is therefore not only a military corporation, which is crucial for the safety of our countries and for deterrence.”

I should mention that this a historic project for both countries. It is the biggest military infrastructure project for Lithuania and the first time a NATO ally is permanently stationed in Lithuania. But it is also the first time for Germany to station their soldiers permanently on foreign soil and therefore a unique event for them as well. We communicate almost daily. No, not almost daily, but daily to discuss a range of topics.”

Is the German brigade fully integrated with other NATO forces and the Lithuanian armed forces or is it a somewhat separate force that has its own roles and duties in coordination with your ministry? How is it difference from the NATO forces that are stationed in Lithuania on a rotating basis?

“German soldiers from the brigade participate in the same exercises as other NATO soldiers. For example, in spring 2025, we had one of the biggest military exercises in Lithuania, which included 11 NATO countries. The German brigade has a very close cooperation with the Lithuanian armed forces and we are working hand in hand to train and exercise together.”

You said a moment ago that daily communication takes place between Lithuania and Germany on defence matters. Could you give some examples? Does this concern the logistics of moving the brigade to Lithuania or more strategic questions?

“For example, as we are building the infrastructure for the German brigade, we communicate at various levels on the most effective way to implement this. These are political discussions, expert-level discussions, etc. Communication is crucial to succeed when we have this kind of challenge here.”