A German tank brigade has begun its first large-scale exercises in Lithuania

The newly formed German 45th Armored Brigade, Panzerbrigade 45 Litauen, has begun its first combat exercises, dubbed Freedom Shield 2026-I, in Lithuania.

The unit’s commander, Brigadier General Christoph Huber, called these exercises at the Pabradė training ground a critically important step toward achieving full operational capability. When planning operations, the German command actively integrates and analyzes combat experience and lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, as the army must focus on scenarios of future high-intensity technological conflicts rather than replicate the methods of past wars.

The creation and deployment of this brigade was Berlin’s direct response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the growing level of military threats to the Baltic states. According to current intergovernmental plans, by 2027, the permanent German contingent in Lithuania is expected to reach its final strength of 4,800 professional military personnel and approximately 200 civilian staff. The strategic significance of the maneuvers is heightened by a geographical factor, as Lithuania shares a direct border with Belarus—a key military ally of the Kremlin—and with Russia’s heavily militarized exclave, the Kaliningrad Oblast.

In the current Freedom Shield exercises at the training ground near the town of Pabradė, located just 15 kilometers from the Belarusian border, a total of about 2,900 military personnel are participating, the majority of whom are Bundeswehr soldiers, and 800 units of various heavy and wheeled equipment from eight NATO member countries have been deployed. To practice modern combat skills, German units transported their standard Leopard tanks and Puma infantry fighting vehicles by rail and ferry. In addition, the German command has deployed over 300 reconnaissance and strike drones in the training area, allowing soldiers to train under realistic conditions involving the massive use of drones and electronic countermeasures.