00:01Cada round está vivo.
00:04Cada impacto es real.
00:07Belarus está solo 12 kilómetros distraído.
00:17Al final de 2027, aproximadamente 5.000 alemanes trupe estarán en Lithuania.
00:31Pero, ¿quiénes son los hombres y las que están detrás de esta misión?
00:52Zenerlager near Paderborn, en western Germany,
00:54just after nine in the morning.
00:56Here, the Tank Battalion 203 from Augustov begins its journey to the Baltics,
01:01where it'll take part in the multinational NATO exercise Freedom Shield 1.
01:08For many of these soldiers, this is more than just another exercise.
01:12By the end of 2027, they'll be deployed to Lithuania in stages
01:16as part of the Lithuania Brigade,
01:18around 4,800 troops in total.
01:23But who are these soldiers heading to Lithuania?
01:29Here, we meet two volunteers who have signed up for several years in Lithuania.
01:33Like every interview we conduct with serving soldiers,
01:36this one also takes place in the presence of military press officers.
01:40It'll be their first long-term posting abroad,
01:43and it'll take them right to the border with Belarus.
01:47Of course, you always have a heartache,
01:49but we have a clear task,
01:51and we will fulfill it to 100%.
01:54Finally, we are all well trained.
01:56We train for the serious attack,
01:58if it should come.
02:00Of course, we hope not,
02:01but if it should be,
02:03we will be ready.
02:11Around 600 soldiers serve with Tank Battalion 203.
02:15Kevin, known as Rogi, is one of them.
02:41The Lithuania Brigade is still taking shape,
02:44with Tank Battalion 203 being one of its five battalions.
02:50For now, the move is voluntary,
02:52but as the relocation draws closer,
02:54there are growing questions
02:55over whether enough soldiers will come forward.
02:58The German army has said it cannot rule out compulsory transfers
03:01if numbers fall short.
03:03So what's the situation in Tank Battalion 203?
03:06That is for the band
03:08probably the most important task in the history of this band.
03:13And that fills us with a certain kind of pride,
03:18but especially we take the responsibility
03:20that there is in the position,
03:22which is behind this task.
03:24I can speak for my battalion
03:26and the mass of soldiers are ready,
03:29to go to Lithuania.
03:31And that is also what I want to be as a leader.
03:34I want to have soldiers on my side,
03:37who are überzeuged by this task
03:39and who will take this responsibility
03:41together in the team of Panzerbataillon 203
03:44to take this responsibility.
03:57The Leopard 2 is one of the Bundeswehr's
03:59most advanced main battle tanks,
04:01weighing more than 60 tons every centimeter counts
04:04as it's loaded onto the train bound for the Baltics.
04:31Before traveling to Lithuania ourselves,
04:34we first head to Berlin.
04:38One question that we have asked us is,
04:41why did Germany decide to build a combat brigade in Lithuania?
04:45I decided to make a special military operation.
04:54Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has reshaped security in Europe.
04:59Along NATO's eastern flank,
05:01fears of further Russian aggression have grown.
05:06When Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014,
05:09President Vladimir Putin justified the move in part by claiming to protect Russian-speaking minorities,
05:15who used the same argument to justify the full-scale invasion of Ukraine eight years later.
05:20Russian-speaking minorities also live across the Baltic states.
05:24In Lithuania, they make up around 5% of the population.
05:27After the illegal annexation of Crimea, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania called for a stronger NATO presence along the alliance's
05:35eastern flank.
05:36In response, NATO established four multinational battle groups in 2016, with Germany leading the one in Lithuania.
05:43NATO and government officials warned that Russia may one day attack other countries too.
05:53So what does that mean for Germany and the Bundeswehr?
05:56To find out, we head to the German parliament.
06:02Russland rüstet massiv auf.
06:05Wir sehen die Entwicklung von weitreichenden Waffensystemen.
06:08Wir sehen die Rekrutierung von 1,5 Millionen Soldaten.
06:12Wir sehen die Vorbereitung von Infrastruktur für Truppenstationierung direkt an der NATO-Ostflanke.
06:18Wir sehen an vielen Stellen Vorbereitung eines neuen russischen Angriffs und diesmal gegen NATO-Partner.
06:24Und das ist genau der Grund, weshalb wir mit unserer Brigade ein klares Zeichen in diese Region setzen.
06:31By the end of 2027, Tank Battalion 203 will relocate to Rudninkai,
06:36the Lithuanian Brigade's main base, just 15 kilometers from the border with Belarus.
06:41Lithuania sees Belarus as a security threat.
06:44Russian forces launched part of their 2022 assault on Kyiv from Belarusian territory
06:49and Moscow and Minsk continue to hold regular joint military exercises.
06:55Now, there are no direct attacks from Belarus,
06:59but from a military point of view, it's like a military backyard of Russia.
07:05They deploy nuclear weapons, they deploy an Orešnik,
07:09they are using our infrastructure,
07:12they have logistic capability to use Belarus.
07:20We travel to Lithuania to see NATO's eastern flank for ourselves.
07:24For a week, we accompanied the Bundeswehr during exercise Freedom Shield and the Vigilant Owl mission,
07:30just a few kilometers from Belarus.
07:39Among the soldiers training here are Kevin and Rogi from Tank Battalion 203.
07:45At the Paparada training area around an hour from Vilnius,
07:48the exercise enters its live fire phase.
07:51Tanks and artillery have to work together.
08:16Tanks and artillery have to work together.
08:35Kevin and Rogi have also completed their live fire exercise.
08:39We weren't allowed to film alongside them.
08:41Afterwards, we hear how it went.
08:47We started with the actual exercise,
08:50without ammunition, without shooting,
08:53with simulation devices,
08:55where we have been trained.
08:58You learn a lot, you can improve your abilities.
09:02After that, there was a two-day shooting.
09:05There was a lot of fun,
09:06where we learned that.
09:08We had to be done by the chart.
09:12Here is also incredibly snowed and sanded.
09:15How is that as a driver?
09:18Is that different than in Germany?
09:20I say so,
09:21this is for me the best place.
09:25Because I sit under the loop and I don't have any more information.
09:46La seguridad es también un testo de cómo la Brigade de Nueva Lithuania se trabaja.
09:58¿Seen esto también? ¿Cómo han tenido esto en las últimas semanas?
10:02Bueno, la palabra de hacer es más fácil de decir, es más fácil de decir que lo he hecho.
10:06De hecho, debemos mantener las reglas y las noticias.
10:10Pero yo creo que aquí en la Brigade de Nueva Lithuania es más posible que lo hemos hecho antes.
10:19Y eso es muy divertido.
10:24Para el Tank Battalion 203, es hora de ir a casa.
10:27Antes de ir a casa, los tanks tienen que limpiar y descargarse.
10:30Pero esto no será mucho tiempo.
10:32Por el final de 2027, el Battalion es due a ser permanente basado en Lithuania.
10:39While Tank Battalion 203 prepares for the journey home, soldiers from the mechanized Infantry Battalion
10:45122 are learning to build protected positions for drone teams.
10:52We have built a safe space.
10:59For security reasons, this soldier has asked not to show his face.
11:03Genau, das ist der erste Tunnel.
11:06Hierneben ist schon der Eingang, der ist extra geöffnet, dass wir den auch gleich finden.
11:19Wir sind jetzt in dem Drohnenversteck, in dem dann später quasi vier Soldaten und Soldatinnen arbeiten, leben und kämpfen.
11:26Leben?
11:26Ja, die schlafen, ja.
11:28Sie haben dann hier links und rechts zwei Doppelstockbetten, auf dem sie aber die Luftbladraht so draufschmeißen und dann schlafen.
11:34Und sie haben dann verschiedene Bildschirme, einmal für die Aufklärungsdrohne, und dann gibt's den zweiten Bildschirm, da ist dann die
11:39Wirktdrohne.
11:41The soldiers dug the first tunnel by hand.
11:43It took them around 30 hours to build.
11:46After that an Excavator helped with the rest.
11:51Ist ganz cool, also schon, man sieht halt, was man gearbeitet hat.
11:54Das, was ich von heute so von vielen mitnehme, das ist sehr so einfach mal machen.
11:57Genau, man kann einfach hier in Litauen viel ausprobieren und sehr realitätsnah das Ganze machen, so wie es dann später
12:03einem hoffentlich nicht erwartet.
12:04Aber man ist ja nicht so durch die ganzen Vorschriften und Regelungen eingeengt, wie es vielleicht in Deutschland sind.
12:11Die Menschen hier trauen sich was und man will hier eben auch was schaffen.
12:19Alles, was die Bundeswehr hier macht, jede neue Möglichkeit, jede Bewegung, jede Adaptation,
12:25ist nahezu durch die Potenzialen.
12:28Wir haben den Inspektor für die Cyber- und Information-Domäne in Vilnius,
12:32um ihn zu fragen, wie real das Threat ist.
12:34Sie müssen permanent damit rechnen, dass ihr Vorgehen überwacht wird,
12:39dass man versucht auszuspionieren, ob man in Kasernen eindringen kann, etc.
12:43Wenn das gelingt, wird Sabotage nicht lange auf sich warten lassen.
12:46Dass versucht wird, vielleicht die Wasserversorgung einer Kaserne zu verseuchen, um damit Schaden herzurufen.
12:54Diesem Risiko sind wir permanent ausgesetzt.
12:57Wir informieren Sie natürlich, wenn Sie Telefongespräche führen,
13:02beispielsweise mit den Familien zu Hause, dass Sie natürlich auch dort reinhören sollen,
13:06ob es auffällig knackt in Ihrem Gesprächskreis, was nämlich dazu sein könnte, dass hier jemand in das litauische Netz eingedrungen
13:16ist,
13:16der auf dieser Basis die Möglichkeit hat, einen deutschen Telefonanruf sozusagen abzuhören.
13:27Ansonsten mit der Freize-Freedom-Shield ist die Bundeswehr-Mission Vigilant-Aul.
13:32Elektronik-Walfare-Teams scannt die Elektromagnetik-Spektrum,
13:35tracking Signals von Equipment und Vehikeln across the area.
13:39Die Daten sind dann benutzt, um eine real-time Bildung zu bilden,
13:41was passiert auf dem Boden passiert.
13:48Wir verabschieden einen dieser Teams.
13:52Eine Person ist immer eingesetzt als Auge, quasi der einmal durchs Gelände führt,
13:57den Blick nach vorne hat.
13:58Das Ziel findet, es anläuft, per Karte, Kompass, GPS, je nachdem welchen Mittel wir haben.
14:03Dann geht er über in die Sicherung.
14:08Und der zweite Soldat da hinten dran war, kann anfangen, den Sensor aufzubauen.
14:12Alles fertig zu machen und dann wird wieder zurückverlegt.
14:17Die Team ist constanty moving its sensors from one position to the next.
14:23Back at the vehicle, we ask how the system has performed in the field.
14:29Hier ist die erste Mission, wo wir den Sensor scharf am Live-Signal benutzen können.
14:34Und wie war's?
14:35Wir konnten gute Ergebnisse liefern.
14:37Generell konnten uns hier sehr gut beüben
14:39und auch Informationen liefern an den Gefechtsstand
14:43und auch ein Lagebild verdichten.
14:49Aber die Bundeswehr ist nicht die einzige, die Intelligenz aufzunehmen,
14:52das Lieutenant Colonel Moritz Kaselow sagt uns.
14:55Das Exercise in Parbrade hat nicht unnoticed über die Grenze in Belarus.
15:00Man ist also sehr wohl daran interessiert und am Ende des Tages kann man jetzt schon früh zusammenfassen,
15:05dass die Abschreckung, die zurzeit hier stattfindet, auch wahrgenommen wird.
15:09Using a terrain model, he explains the current situation.
15:12It shows where units are deployed along the border and how their roles fit together.
15:18Not every threat on the battlefield is visible.
15:21Wir haben den Auftrag mit der Vigilant-Ul hier im Bereich aufzuklären,
15:26die jeweiligen Signale im elektromagnetischen Spektrum und im Endeffekt eine Vorwarnfunktion zu stellen.
15:31Einerseits für die Kräfte, die aktuell eingesetzt sind, hier im Rahmen der Panzerbrigade 45,
15:35andererseits für andere Bedarfsträger und natürlich auch für unseren Partner, die litauischen Kräfte hier vor Ort.
15:42Russia's war against Ukraine has shown just how important the electromagnetic spectrum has become in modern warfare.
15:49Military planners now talk about a transparent battlefield,
15:52one where drones, sensors and electronic surveillance make it increasingly difficult to move without being detected.
16:03This is where electronic warfare comes in.
16:06By detecting and analysing signals, it builds a real-time picture of the battlefield.
16:14What appears in the electromagnetic spectrum can quickly become a threat on the ground.
16:19Whether it's a drone or an enemy unit.
16:22And throughout the Exercise Freedom Shield, drones are never far away.
16:28The war in Ukraine has shown just how important it is to protect military vehicles from drones.
16:33Cheap to produce, but capable of causing serious damage, drones have changed the battlefield.
16:39For Exercise Freedom Shield, the soldiers developed an additional layer of protection against attacks from above.
17:03By the time we arrived, the drone cage fitted onto Kevin's tank had already been removed.
17:11But Staff Sergeant Markus from the Lithuanian Brigade Signals Company shows us a similar system.
17:17He designed a drone cage for the Fuchs armored personnel carrier.
17:20I saw a lot of videos from Ukraine and thought about how we could protect our vehicles against these threats,
17:29which the drone is now bringing with us.
17:31And then came the idea of this idea of such a cage to concept and to set up.
17:36We've already driven a test drive, and found one or two Schwachstellen.
17:41We've found one or two Schwachstellen, which we've now improved.
17:43After and after.
17:43Now we've done the prototype first with Hasendraht.
17:47Or with a stabiler blade.
17:51But if you build it stabiler and develop it, it could also help against such a Shahid.
17:58At least, so that the aircraft is unbeatable from the number.
18:04But during the around six-week exercise, the soldiers weren't just defending themselves against drones,
18:09they were also using them.
18:11Yeah, I did that too.
18:12So I stood here in my commandant's look and let the drone climb up.
18:17And, yeah, I carried out the explanation, and sometimes I brought them to the enemy.
18:22And then they were killed by stealth fire.
18:25And did you fly the drone before?
18:27No, learning by doing.
18:29And how long has it lasted?
18:30Three minutes.
18:31Does it grow a little bit more with drones, or does it stay with the Panzer?
18:36It's quite difficult for the Panzer.
18:38You have to imagine, the car is designed to open the fight with speed and power.
18:46And then I have the time to let a drone climb up.
18:51With the Lithuanian Brigade, Germany is placing its faith in heavy armour.
18:56The aim is to deter Russia and, if necessary, help defend Lithuania alongside its NATO allies.
19:02But on the drive back to Vilnius, one question stayed with us.
19:05In the age of drones, is heavy armour still fit for purpose?
19:09Is the focus on tanks still adequate?
19:11I mean, it's a battle tank brigade.
19:13I see drones not come and not occupy the country, but it can be used as very good offensive means,
19:24but also in defensive matters.
19:29For now, Kevin and Roger's deployment to Lithuania is over.
19:33Tank Battalion 203 is heading back to Germany.
19:38The tank crews, the signal soldiers, the electronic warfare teams, the mechanised infantrymen from Oberviechtag,
19:49they all have the same mission, to be ready for war in the hope that they never have to fight
19:54one.
