Lithuania is hoping to increase cooperation with the German armaments sector, Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said on Tuesday at a defence conference in Vilnius.
“For Lithuania, expanding cooperation with German industry is not just welcome. It is of our [sic] strategic importance. We see enormous potential in joint production, maintenance, and technology development,” said Kaunas, who took office three weeks ago.
German drone manufacturer Quantum-Systems and Lithuania’s ADV Defense signed a memorandum of understanding on developing autonomous aviation systems in the presence of Kaunas at the event, organized by the German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce.
The minister also highlighted the stationing of a German brigade in Lithuania. “Lithuania has always valued Germany as a steadfast ally and committed NATO partner, and now, through the permanent stationing of German brigade to Lithuania, a trusted pillar of our collective defence,” he said.
He described the brigade as “a powerful strategic political signal that the deterrence of the Baltic region is inseparable from the defence of the [sic] Europe as a whole.”
The brigade is to be combat-ready by 2027, with a permanent garrison of around 4,800 troops and around 200 civilian support staff attached to the military.
Florian Hahn, minister of state at the German Foreign Office, described the brigade as “the incarnation of our commitment to security,” adding that the stationing was proceeding to schedule.
Referring to cooperation on arms manufacture involving Germany’s Rheinmetall, Hahn said: “The recent ground-breaking ceremony for the Rheinmetall artillery ammunition factory in Lithuania has been a milestone in German-Lithuanian defence cooperation.”