Lithuania and Germany sign a declaration on strategic defence cooperation

Lithuania's Minister of National Defence Robertas Kaunas and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius signed a joint declaration on strategic defence cooperation in Berlin on 4 November 2026. The document was signed during the Berlin Security Conference, the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence said, as quoted by BNS and LRT.

According to the Lithuanian ministry, the declaration marks a new stage in the two countries' strategic partnership and sets the long-term directions of their cooperation. The specific measures will be set out in a separate action plan. The full text of the declaration had not been published at the time of publication, so Flank relies on the Lithuanian ministry's statement.

Air defence and drones are among the priorities

"We have signed a historic agreement that expands our cooperation with Germany in almost every area of security," Kaunas said, as quoted by the Lithuanian ministry. He named air defence and protection against unmanned aircraft as one of the main priorities.

According to the ministry, the two countries will expand their cooperation in the following areas:

• developing defence capabilities and partnership between their defence industries;
• joint experiments to introduce new technologies;
• logistics, military mobility and medical support;
• military intelligence and electronic warfare;
• military and dual-use infrastructure;
• space security and defence;
• protection against cyber and hybrid threats, strategic communications and countering information attacks.

In future arms purchases, the two countries will aim for interoperable or interchangeable systems and will look for funding from European Union instruments. Closer cooperation is also planned between the German territorial defence forces, Lithuania's National Defence Volunteer Forces and the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union, with regular exchanges of experience and knowledge.

The German brigade remains the core

The Lithuanian ministry stresses that the German brigade remains the axis of the partnership. Germany is stationing a permanent brigade in Lithuania, in which about 5,000 military personnel and civilian staff are to serve and work. It is to reach full operational capability by the end of 2027.

Construction of the military town in Rūdninkai is under way: the first stage is finishing earlier than planned and the second has already begun, the ministry says. Lithuania has officially confirmed to Germany that the infrastructure for the brigade will be ready on time. "All the main infrastructure needed to receive the brigade will be ready by the end of 2027," Kaunas said.

What it means

Until now, the German-Lithuanian partnership has rested mainly on the presence of German troops. The declaration extends it to shared capabilities: air defence, protection against drones, intelligence and electronic warfare. These are the areas where the Baltic states are most vulnerable. In recent months, Latvia and Lithuania have reported drones and other objects entering their airspace.

The document, however, is a political declaration, not a treaty. The Lithuanian ministry's statement contains no amounts, deadlines or specific deliveries. The agreement's real weight will show in the action plan still to be drawn up. Until then, the most tangible commitment remains the one already announced: the brigade and its infrastructure by the end of 2027.

The emphasis on interoperable systems and joint EU funding matters beyond the Baltic. Bulgaria is also buying German IRIS-T SLM air defence systems. The more countries on the eastern flank use the same systems, the easier it is for allies to support one another with spare parts, ammunition and training.