US Army Europe commander coming to Lithuania

VILNIUS – Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, commander of the United States Army Europe, is coming to Lithuania this week to meet with Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis and Chief of Defense Lieutenant General Jonas Vytautas Zukas on Wednesday.

The meeting of the minister, the chief of defense and the US general will address the regional security situation, further plans of implementation of NATO deterrence measures in Lithuania, stationing and training of the NATO battalion, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said.

After the meeting in Vilnius, Hodges and Lithuania's Land Forces Commander, Brigadier General Valdemaras Rupsys, will be escorted to Rukla to meet with the leadership of the NATO battalion stationed in Lithuania, Lithuanian troops and US rotational troops attending joint exercises.

US troops have been rotated in Lithuania's since 2014 in the wake of Russian actions in Ukraine and the Baltic Sea region. Some 120 US troops are currently stationed in Lithuania.

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius last week said Lithuania wanted US troops to be deployed in the country on permanent basis instead of the current rotational grounds.