The new German tank brigade that forms the backbone of NATO multinational forces in Lithuania is holding its first large-scale battle drills.
German Army battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and infantry with Tank Brigade 45 pushed into the densely wooded forests of Pabrade Training Area to fight through realistic combat scenarios during exercise Freedom Shield 26. The brigade was announced in 2023 as the first German Army brigade permanently stationed abroad, and it was formally activated on 1 April 2025. Freedom Shield is the first time it has deployed on large-scale combat drills.
The exercise involved 2,900 soldiers and 800 vehicles from eight NATO Allies, namely Belgium, Czechia, Croatia, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the...
