US troop rotations heading back to Lithuania amid high tension in Europe, Baltic leader says

The next rotation of U.S. service members in Lithuania is already on its way, the Baltic country’s leader said Tuesday in a social media post, resolving at least some of the uncertainty over American troop levels in the NATO ally bordering Russia.

Army officials in Europe said the move is part of a planned rotation in Europe that was announced last month. In August, the Army said a brigade from the 1st Infantry Division was headed to Europe to replace another brigade that was wrapping up its deployment. 

President Gitanas Nauseda thanked his U.S. counterpart, President Donald Trump, for sending the new rotation. The deployments began in 2019, and Lithuania has hosted rotational Army battalions of about 1,000 soldiers.

Those deployments were called into question in May when the Pentagon announced a rebalancing of forces on the Continent.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the withdrawal of up to 5,000 troops from Germany and canceled the positioning of a Fort Hood, Texas-based armored brigade in Poland.

The battalion-sized element sent to Lithuania is typically drawn from the Poland-based brigade. Shortly after the announcement was made to pause the Poland deployment, troops in Lithuania began heading back to the U.S. without being replaced.

On Tuesday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys welcomed the resumption of the rotations.

“U.S. boots on the ground are essential for deterrence, defence, and security on NATO’s eastern flank,” he said in a post on X.

The Pentagon had not publicly confirmed the deployment as of Tuesday.

The rotation comes amid concerns that Russia’s escalating war in Ukraine could spill into NATO territory.

Over the weekend, Ukraine launched its largest-ever reported drone attack on Russia. Strikes on the Moscow region killed at least three people and damaged a major oil refinery. Russia responded this week by striking at least four Ukrainian regions with missiles and drones.

Poland reinforced security at its border last week after Russian drone strikes near crossings, CNN reported.

Trump also said last week that Washington and Warsaw were making progress toward establishing a new U.S. Army base in Poland.

Russia has also been accused of perpetrating drone incursions and acts of sabotage in several NATO countries. On Sept. 15, allied fighter jets shot down a drone, believed to be of Russian origin, over Lithuania.