Germany to move Slovakia-based Patriot system to Lithuania to protect NATO summit

An illustrative image of a M983 HEMTT mounted with a Patriot launcher module part of the US made MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. Photo: Omar Marques/Getty Images

In a bid to boost the security of a NATO summit slated for July in Vilnius, Germany will move its Patriot missile defense system currently stationed in Slovakia to Lithuania, the German defense ministry said in a statement on Friday.

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Germany has stationed two Patriot units in Slovakia and three in Poland.

“For the ground-based air defence (at the NATO summit), we will move our Patriot units from Slovakia and supporting elements from Poland to Lithuania,” the defense ministry said, adding this would end the deployment to Slovakia.

A spokesperson for the ministry declined to give details on which elements from the mission in Poland the deployment will comprise.

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