Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, said its troops would be stationed along NATO's eastern flank in Lithuania, and the unit will be fully operational by 2027. This marks the first time soldiers from the country will be on a permanent foreign deployment since World War II.

T HE GERMAN state of North Rhine-Westphalia has long provided bodyguards to Armin Papperger. But since American and German spooks foiled a Russian plot to kill him last year, the boss of Rheinmetall,