Four American soldiers participating in NATO exercises in Lithuania remain missing after their tracked vehicle was discovered submerged in water near the Belarusian border. The troops, assigned to the U.S. Army’s 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, vanished during scheduled tactical training on Tuesday afternoon in the Pabrade area, prompting a large-scale multinational search operation involving Lithuanian forces, border guards, and helicopters.
While Lithuanian authorities confirmed the vehicle’s recovery, they emphasized there is “no evidence confirming the death of the troops,” contradicting earlier remarks by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who said he had been informed of fatalities but lacked details. The U.S. Army’s Europe and Africa command acknowledged the incident but provided no updates on the soldiers’ status.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Šakalienė pledged round-the-clock efforts, stating emergency teams were on standby. The Baltic nation, a NATO frontline state, hosts over 1,000 rotational U.S. troops as part of the alliance’s deterrence posture against regional threats. Lieutenant General Charles Costanza, commanding general of V Corps, thanked Lithuanian forces for their rapid response.
The incident underscores risks to allied forces training near volatile borders, particularly with Belarus, a Russian ally implicated in hybrid warfare tactics. Investigations continue as rescue operations intensify.
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