Germany has positioned thousands of troops on Russia's doorstep in the country's first permanent foreign deployment since WW2.
Europe's largest economy has set down a 5,000-strong armoured brigade in Lithuania in a bid to bolster Nato's eastern flank in response to Russia's war against Ukraine.
The historic move marks a departure from decades of German defence policy which had previously avoided the permanent stationing of combat troops abroad.
The newly-created 45th Armoured Brigade was formally activated in a ceremony on Tuesday outside Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
Germany has positioned thousands of troops on Russia's doorstep in the country's first permanent foreign deployment since WW2
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
A temporary headquarters has been also established, with the brigade's crest unveiled during the event.
The unit is now officially under the command of Brigadier General Christoph Huber.
"We have a clear mission: to ensure the protection, freedom and security of our Lithuanian allies on Nato's eastern flank," Huber vowed.
"In doing so, we also protect Nato territory - and Germany itself," he added.
Berlin had initially pledged this long-term deployment in 2023, breaking with decades of German defence policy.
And the unit is set to be fully operational by 2027 - and will eventually be based in a new military complex in Rudninkai, about 30 kilometres south of Vilnius.
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'We have a clear mission: to ensure the protection, freedom and security of our Lithuanian allies on Nato's eastern flank,' Huber (pictured) vowed
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Until then, troops will operate out of temporary Lithuanian bases.
The plan includes frontline forces and support units across multiple locations.
Currently, 150 German troops are stationed in Lithuania, with that number expected to reach 500 by the year's end.
For Nato, the deployment represents a critical part of the alliance's shift to deterrence by "forward defence" - something high on the agenda of France and Britain, whose military top brass will soon visit Ukraine ahead of a potential "peacekeeping force" rollout.
Lithuania, which borders Russian exclave Kaliningrad and Kremlin ally Belarus, sees the move as vital to its national security.
Six British-built Typhoon jets (centre, top and bottom) landed in Poland earlier today for an enhanced 'air policing mission' (file photo)
GETTYThe deployment comes just as RAF fighter jets arrived in eastern Europe for a groundbreaking joint mission with Sweden.
Six British-built Typhoon jets landed in Poland earlier today for an enhanced "air policing mission" on a more southern stretch of Nato's eastern flank.
RAF pilots will work alongside Swedish Air Force crews to counter potential Russian aggression along the Polish border.
Meanwhile, the arrival of Swedish Gripen fighter jets marks a major milestone for Sweden - it marks the first deployment of Swedish combat jets in a Nato policing role since joining the alliance last year.
