Four U.S. Army soldiers went missing during a scheduled training exercise in Lithuania on March 25, NATO clarified on Wednesday after its Secretary-General Mark Rutte had previously said the soldiers were dead.
Following a multi-agency search involving American and Lithuanian personnel and Rutte’s comments, NATO released a statement to the social platform X clarifying the soldiers’ status.
“The search is ongoing,” NATO said. “We regret any confusion about remarks @SecGenNATO delivered on this today. He was referring to emerging news reports & was not confirming the fate of the missing, which is still unknown.”
According to the Army, the Hercules armored vehicle carrying the four soldiers during a training exercise had been discovered submerged in a body of water, and recovery efforts were underway between the Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces, and civilian agencies.
U.S. Army Europe and Africa, headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany, confirmed an incident in a statement earlier Wednesday but had not yet changed the status of the soldiers from missing in their latest update.
The update did state that an M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle the four missing U.S. soldiers were operating during a training exercise had been located.
“The vehicle was discovered submerged in a body of water in a training area after a search by U.S. Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces and other Lithuanian authorities,” the Army’s Europe and Africa public affairs department stated.
The soldiers, all assigned to the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were conducting tactical maneuvers at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training area in Pabradė, a town located about six miles from Lithuania’s border with Belarus.
“A search is being conducted by U.S. Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces, Lithuanian law enforcement, and others,” the Army stated. “Search and recovery efforts are underway.”
The soldiers were participating in a previously scheduled training operation. The Army has not released their names or additional details about the circumstances of the disappearance.
Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, the V Corps commanding general, issued a statement thanking local authorities.
“I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian Armed Forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations,” he said. “It’s this kind of teamwork and support that exemplifies the importance of our partnership and our humanity regardless of what flags we wear on our shoulders.”
The outlet cited the Lithuanian Armed Forces as saying that the soldiers were last seen at approximately 4:45 p.m. local time.
According to the LRT report, helicopters from Lithuania’s Air Force and Border Guard Service, along with the Fire and Rescue Department, joined the search operation later that day.
Authorities had apparently identified a potential site related to the incident, but the soldiers remain unaccounted for, according to the outlet.
Major Gintautas Ciunis, a spokesman for the Lithuanian Armed Forces, told the outlet the individuals were foreign troops but declined further comment.
“I can only say that they are foreign soldiers,” he said.
The chairman of Lithuania’s parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense, Giedrimas Jeglinskas, urged discretion.
“Let’s be respectful; let’s allow all the procedures to do their work,” he told LRT RADIO, adding that relevant authorities are involved in the investigation.
The Pentagon referred all inquiries to the U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s public affairs office.
As of publication, the Lithuanian Armed Forces and the European Army Public Affairs Office have not responded to requests for comment.
U.S. Army officials said in the statement that they would release more information as it becomes available.
