“Bearing in mind the size of deployments from the Western allies in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Russia‘s actions are disproportionately extensive. The Americans knew that Russia has and is planning to increase even further its forces in the Western Zone, which is why they are re-evaluating their startegic priorities and goals, putting us on the radar. This is something more than talk, it involves concrete numbers of troops, funds, tanks,” the scientist said on the programme Aktualioji Valanda.
A brigade consists of about 4,200 soldiers, so Lithuania could host a battalion of up to 500 troops. “An American brigade is equivalent to a division 30-40 years ago in terms of military might. So if we’re using Soviet standards, the Americans are sending a division to Eastern Europe,” said Šlekys.
“Currently, we have about 100 American soldiers who regularly take part in exercises here, and a battalion consists of 400-500 soldiers, so the American presence in each country will increase. A battalion in Lithuania, is quite a lot,” said Šlekys.
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