<p >The Germany Army has begun its first permanent force deployment on foreign soil since the end of the Nazi era, with the formation of the new 45th Armoured Brigade stationed in Vilnius, Lithuania. The mechanised brigade is intended to be expanded to 4,800 personnel, and will by the end of 2025 be equipped with 44 Leopard 2 main battle tanks under the 203rd Panzer Battalion, and a further 44 Puma Infantry Fighting Vehicles under the 122nd Panzergrenadier Battalion. The brigade will be expanded with the addition of the 455th Panzer Artillery Battalion in 2026, which will be equipped with PzH 2000 155mm self-propelled howitzers. The formation of a permanent foreign brigade in Eastern Europe represents a major shift towards Germany making greater contributions to the collective security interests of NATO members, with the unit’s position on the territory of the former USSR expected to be considered particularly provocative by Russia.&nbsp;In response to the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/foreign-combatants-donbas-battles-russia" target="_blank">escalation of tensions</a> with NATO members in the region,&nbsp;Russian forces have themselves <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-details-nkorea-role-repelling-kursk" target="_blank">operated more closely</a> alongside Belarusian and North Korean forces in Eastern Europe.&nbsp;</p><p >The 45th Armoured Brigade was officially inaugurated on May 22, and is expected to be the first of several units that may be stationed near NATO’s eastern flank. The deployment of German ground forces is considered particularly critical for the United States, which has sought to reduce the burden of stationing its own ground forces in Eastern Europe in order to allow more resources to be diverted towards strengthening its forces in the Pacific theatre. Serious questions have nevertheless been raised regarding the capabilities of the German Army, with their training standards and combat readiness levels having drawn significant criticism in the past, while the Leopard 2 and the PzH 2000 have demonstrated <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/german-weapons-poor-failing-ukraine-turkey" target="_blank">significant shortcomings</a> in combat in the Ukrainian theatre.&nbsp;</p>
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