Lithuania began the construction of a military base near the Russian border on Monday. 

The military base, according to Reuters, will house up to 4,000 German soldiers when it is completed by the end of 2027, in the first permanent installation of the German military abroad since World War II.

Germany pledged to deploy troops to the NATO and EU member, which borders Russia, last year. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius compared the decision to the deployment of Allied forces to West Germany during the Cold War to defend Western Europe in the event of a Soviet attack.

Lithuanian defense chief Raimundas Vaiksnoras estimated that the country will spend well over 1 billion euros over the next three years to develop the base, in one of the biggest construction projects in its history.

This is a considerable investment for a nation of 2.9 million people with an economy one-tenth the size of Germany, Vaiksnoras said. The brigade will act as a reassurance to the population and a deterrent to repel the Russians, he added.

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The base in Rudninkai, near the capital Vilnius and just 20 km from Russia’s ally, Belarus, will house up to 4,000 troops, storage,and maintenance facilities for battle tanks and other equipment, as well as shooting ranges of all sizes. About a thousand more German military and civilian contractors will be stationed elsewhere in Lithuania.

However, only about a fifth of the complex’s buildings in Rudninkai have been commissioned for construction, raising fears that it will not be ready in time. Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas told reporters that his ministry would award contracts for the remaining projects by the end of this year, when his government’s term ends.

The German government has asked parliament for 2.93 billion euros to order 105 Leopard 2 A8 battle tanks, partly to equip the Lithuanian base, according to a confidential draft budget seen by Reuters in June.

But infighting over the budget within Germany’s fractured coalition is jeopardizing Berlin’s promise to upgrade its military.

Lithuania has increased its defense spending to 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) this year, and the government of Prime Minister Ingrid Simonite has raised taxes to support defense needs, such as the base, for years to come.

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