Germany Normalizes Forward Tank Deployment

Germany has permanently based an armored brigade in Lithuania — its first permanent overseas deployment since World War II — equipped with Leopard 2 tanks, Pumas, self‑propelled artillery and massed drones. NATO’s Baltic defense doctrine has shifted from a temporary tripwire to an immediate, heavy-force deterrent intended to stop invasions at the outset rather than await reinforcements. — This signals a major change in German post‑war restraint and NATO burden‑sharing, raising stakes for alliance deterrence, escalation risk vis‑à‑vis Russia, and European defense industrial and logistics planning.