Norway will continue to contribute Norwegian forces in Lithuania

On Monday, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Minister of Defence Bjørn Arild Gram visited the Norwegian Force in Lithuania in advance of the NATO Summit in Vilnius.

‘I am proud of the work being carried out by the Norwegian forces in Lithuania. The decision to extend the participation of Norwegian troops when there is an ongoing war in Europe is not a decision the Government takes lightly. But we know that this is an important operation and that our contribution is valuable. Sharing knowledge and experience serves to enhance both our own Armed Forces and NATO,’ said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.  

NATO has deployed a total of roughly 1 600 personnel in Lithuania, following the reinforcement of troops in 2022.

‘The Baltic countries are our allies. Our presence helps to safeguard their security. Therefore, the Government has now decided to extend the deployment of Norwegian forces in Lithuania until the end of 2024,’ said Mr Støre.

This is one of our most important military contributions to the international community at the present time, and it is also the largest number of personnel we are providing abroad. I am very pleased we can extend this deployment until the end of 2024,’ said Minister of Defence Bjørn Arild Gram.

The eFP consists of four multinational battalion-size battle groups based in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland. The Norwegian contribution is part of a German-led multinational battalion in Lithuania. The Norwegian force is based at a Lithuanian garrison in the town of Rukla, some 90 km outside Vilnius. The Norwegians train and exercise together with soldiers from Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and the host country Lithuania.

More information about Norway’s operations in Lithuania can be found here: Lithuania - Norwegian Armed Forces (forsvaret.no)