First Military Exercises Involving New US Army Сontingent in Lithuania to Take Place in November

In an interview with the national broadcaster LRT, Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, General Raimundas Vaikšnoras, stated that the first military exercises involving a new U.S. Army contingent in Lithuania will take place in mid-November, TASS reports.

"The first American soldiers have already arrived in Lithuania. Military equipment is currently en route. We plan for the exercise season involving our allies to begin in mid-November," he said.

Since 2019, a U.S. Army battalion—consisting of approximately 1,000 personnel equipped with Abrams tanks, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and Paladin artillery systems—had been stationed in Lithuania on a rotational basis. In November 2024, a decision was made to transition this rotation to a continuous presence, meaning there would be no gaps between the nine-month deployments. In June 2026, the U.S. withdrew this battalion from Lithuania without providing information regarding the future of its presence.

A new rotational unit is now being deployed. The first 100 soldiers have arrived, and the redeployment is ongoing. In total, the contingent will once again number approximately 1,000 personnel, supported by the same type of combat equipment.