Four American soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division have been found dead after disappearing during a training exercise in Lithuania. The soldiers were reported missing on Tuesday (March 25) from the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė, located less than six miles from the Belarus border. The US military, in collaboration with Lithuanian authorities, launched a search operation to locate the missing soldiers and their vehicle.
Initial reports suggest that the soldiers were traveling in an M88 recovery vehicle, one of the largest armored vehicles used by the US military, which may have fallen into a body of water. The Lithuanian Armed Forces identified a possible location of the incident and led the search and rescue operation, supported by the Fire Protection and Rescue Department and other institutions.
Lieutenant General Charles Costanza expressed gratitude to the Lithuanian Armed Forces and first responders for their swift assistance. “It’s this kind of teamwork and support that exemplifies the importance of our partnership,” he said.
The incident occurred during joint-training exercises between US and Lithuanian forces amid rising tensions between the Baltic nations and Russia. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, all NATO members, have had tense relations with Russia since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. The situation in the region worsened following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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