The fate of four U.S. soldiers who went missing this week while training in Lithuania is not yet confirmed, NATO clarified, despite Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s earlier comments suggesting they had died.
“The search is ongoing,” NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said in a statement posted to X. “We regret any confusion about remarks (the Secretary-General) delivered on this today. He was referring to emerging news reports and was not confirming the fate of the missing, which is still unknown.”
U.S. Lt. Col. Angel Tomko told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the four soldiers were part of the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division stationed at Fort Stewart near Savannah. But she could not identify them and referred other questions to U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
That command said Thursday that the soldiers have been missing since Tuesday morning. They’d been conducting a maintenance mission in an M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle to bring back another Army vehicle during scheduled training near Pabradė, a city in eastern Lithuania.
Their vehicle was discovered the following morning submerged in a body of water in a training area. The search for the soldiers has been aided by the Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces and other Lithuanian authorities and has included ground-level search parties, military helicopters and dive teams.
“This is gut-wrenching for the entire 3rd Infantry Division,” said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd Infantry Division Commander. “Our hearts are with the families of our missing soldiers and all of Raider Brigade during this difficult time, both forward and here at home.”
The Army described their work as “search and recovery efforts,” and said thick forests and swampy terrain have made it difficult. Specialized equipment and engineers have been brought in to drain water from the muddy site so they can access the submerged vehicle, the Army said.
Credit: U.S. Army Europe and Africa
Credit: U.S. Army Europe and Africa
“We are incredibly appreciative of the dedicated and professional efforts of our Lithuanian allies in ensuring the safety of U.S. personnel,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, the commanding general of 1st Armored Division. “They have worked tirelessly alongside us over the last 48 hours and we continue to be grateful for their support.”
In comments that later prompted the NATO clarification, Rutte told reporters during a trip to Warsaw that he had received word of the deaths of the four soldiers while he was delivering a lecture. He said that his thoughts were with their families and with the United States, The Associated Press reported.
“This is still early news so we do not know the details. This is really terrible news and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones,” Rutte said.
Soldiers from the 1st brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart deployed to Europe in January. It is the unit’s second trip to Europe since 2022, when about 3,800 of its soldiers were ordered to Germany in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“The 3rd Infantry Division has an extensive history in Europe, almost like a second home and over the past few days we’ve relied on the strong bonds built over years of partnership,” Norrie said. “Words cannot express our gratitude to all who have dedicated countless hours to the ongoing search and recovery efforts in ensuring our soldiers are found.”
The Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are all NATO members and have often had chilly ties with Russia, a key ally of Belarus, since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1990.
Relations soured further over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Ukraine in its fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces.
—The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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