Germany Deploys First Contingent For New Lithuania Brigade

SCHOENEFELD, GERMANY - APRIL 8: Soldiers of the first contingent of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, deploying to Lithuania as part of the new Lithuania Brigade stand next to an A400M transport plane shortly before their departure on April 8, 2024 in Schoenefeld, Germany. The Lithuania Brigade, made up of the new 45th Armoured Brigade (Panzerbrigade 45), will eventually include 4,800 Bundeswehr troops stationed with heavy equipment long-term in Lithuania as part of a NATO contingent designed to strengthen NATO's eastern flanks and provide added deterrence to possible Russian aggression. Lithuania borders the Suwalki Gap, a strategic region that links Poland to the Baltic countries. (Footage by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)