More than a thousand American servicemen and their equipment are beginning to leave Lithuania due to the completion of another rotation. Meanwhile, the timing of the arrival of the new contingent remains uncertain amid the review of the U.S. military presence in Europe.
The withdrawal of another rotation of American troops numbering more than a thousand servicemen has begun from Lithuania, reports LETA citing BNS.
Typically, such processes occur almost unnoticed: new units arrive before the previous rotation is fully completed. However, this time the situation is different.
According to sources from BNS in Lithuania's defense structures, the timing of the arrival of the next group of American soldiers and its size are currently unknown. As a result, there may be a longer-than-usual gap between rotations in the country.
This uncertainty is related to Washington's ongoing review of the deployment of American forces in Europe.
Lithuania's chief national security advisor, Daividas Matulionis, confirmed that Vilnius has received assurances from the U.S. about maintaining the American military presence in the country. According to him, the question is not whether American troops will remain in Lithuania, but rather the specific timing and scale of the next rotation.
"We received a very clear assurance from the Americans that the military has been and will remain," Matulionis stated.
For Lithuania, the presence of American troops is considered one of the key elements of security on NATO's eastern flank. Therefore, any changes in the rotation schedule traditionally attract increased attention from both politicians and the public.
American units have been regularly stationed in Lithuania since 2019. After the onset of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, the format of their presence was strengthened: instead of separate temporary missions, a virtually continuous rotation of units was introduced. Typically, reinforced battalions of more than a thousand servicemen equipped with armored vehicles and other weaponry were stationed in Lithuania.
Discussions about the future of the American military presence in Europe have been ongoing for several months. In May, the U.S. announced the suspension of the transfer of about 4,000 servicemen to Poland, but later President Donald Trump announced plans to deploy around 5,000 American troops there.
Against this backdrop, Lithuania emphasizes that it currently sees no reason for concern and hopes to maintain close military cooperation with Washington.
The final parameters of the next rotation are likely to be known after the completion of the American review of military presence in Europe.
