About 100 German troops and 40 vehicles arrived in Lithuania on September 4, 2022 (File photo)
2022年9月4日，约100名德国士兵和40辆战车抵达立陶宛（来源：中国国防报）
It is reported that during the visit to Lithuania on June 26, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that the country plans to permanently station a brigade of 4,000 troops in Lithuania.
据报道，德国国防部长皮斯托留斯6月26日在访问立陶宛时宣布，德国准备派出一个4000人的旅永久驻扎在立陶宛。
Since 2017, Germany has had about 800 Bundeswehr troops permanently stationed in Lithuania as part of the NATO military force, and another 650 troops temporarily stationed in this region after the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis. Military observer Teng Jianqun pointed out that Germany's plan to permanently station 4,000 soldiers is most different from previous operations in that a fixed military post will be established in Lithuania to ensure the permanent stationing of German military in the region. In addition, a permanent commanding institution will also be included in the command-and-control system to manage the dispatched troops.
自2017年以来，德国有大约800名联邦国防军士兵作为北约军事力量的一部分长期驻扎在立陶宛，乌克兰危机爆发后，又增派了650人临时驻扎。军事观察员滕建群表示，德国此次计划“永久驻扎”4000名士兵，和以往最大的不同就是在立陶宛设立常驻基地，保证德军能够在立陶宛有一个永久的驻扎地点，此外，在指挥控制体系方面有一个常设的指挥机构，管控在立陶宛驻扎的德国部队。
Previously, Lithuania had repeatedly appealed to NATO to deploy combat troops in countries bordering the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. As to Lithuania's appeal, Teng analyzed that on the one hand, Lithuania intends to safeguard national security by relying on the strength of NATO and to reduce security anxiety through the mutual defense clause announced by the organization. On the other hand, Lithuania hopes to take the opportunity to strengthen security and military cooperation with Germany.
此前，立陶宛曾多次呼吁北约应该在与俄罗斯“飞地”加里宁格勒接壤的国家部署作战部队。对于立陶宛的诉求，滕建群分析认为,一方面，立陶宛有意借助北约的力量维护国家安全，借助北约的集体防御条款减少安全焦虑;另一方面，立陶宛想借机加强与德国的安全和军事合作。
In this regard, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said during his visit to Lithuania that as a NATO member state and the largest economy in Europe, Germany bears the responsibility and obligation to protect the security of NATO's eastern flank members.
In Teng's view, the plan of Germany not only represents a direct response to the current Russia-Ukraine situation from NATO, but is also an inevitable result of the strategic security adjustment and transformation of Germany. As the Russia-Ukraine conflict persists, NATO forces are forwardly deployed on the eastern flank. Germany's proposition of permanent troop stationing in Lithuania signalizes that NATO's defense focus continuously expands to some countries neighboring Russian border areas. Germany's security strategy is undergoing a significant change, aiming to win the country a dominant role in European security affairs by taking advantage of NATO.
在滕建群看来，德国这一计划不仅是北约对当前俄乌局势的直接反应，也是德国安全战略调整转型的必然结果。随着俄乌冲突的持续，北约的兵力在向其东翼前置部署。德国提出在立陶宛永久驻军，表明北约的防御重心继续向靠近俄罗斯边境地区的一些国家延展。德国的安全战略正在发生重大调整，并有意借助北约这个平台在欧洲安全事务方面发挥主导作用。
It is worth noting that this move unveils the strategic transformation direction of Germany. The German National Security Strategy first released by the German Federal Government a few days ago provides a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the German security environment, with a focus on era change.
值得一提的是，德国此举折射其战略转型方向。德国联邦政府日前首次出台《德国国家安全战略》，全面系统地分析了德国的安全环境，重点聚焦“时代变革”。
Teng pointed out that Germany's current series of actions indicate that the Scholz government has constantly made security and military policy adjustments based on the situation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict since the inauguration, targeting a more offensive national defense strategy. The current policy of the country is mainly to follow the US and actively strengthen military buildup and combat readiness, which runs counter to the strategy to balance the US and Russia adopted by the Merkel government. This is not necessarily bullish for Germany and regional security.
滕建群表示，德国当前一系列动作表明，朔尔茨政府上台后，根据俄乌冲突的局势发展，不断做出相应的安全和军事政策调整，将采取更具进攻性的国防战略。德国现在采取的政策主要是跟随美国，积极扩军备战，同默克尔政府采取的跟美国平衡、跟俄罗斯平衡的政策背道而驰，这对于德国、对于地区安全来说不一定是利好。
Editor's note: Originally published on china.com.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
