4 U.S. Army soldiers missing during training exercise in Lithuania; search and rescue underway

Four U.S. Army soldiers were missing Wednesday in Lithuania after disappearing during a training exercise, officials said. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte had told reporters in Poland that the soldiers were killed, but a NATO spokesperson later said Rutte was referring to unconfirmed details from news reports.

A U.S. official said that the four soldiers were involved in a training accident.

“We’re aware that four U.S. soldiers are currently missing in Lithuania during a training exercise and that search and recovery efforts are underway,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the soldiers and families affected by this situation. We will provide more information when it becomes available.”

The U.S. Embassy in Vilnius said earlier in a statement posted on social media that the troops went missing from a training area near Pabrade, near Lithuania’s far eastern border with Belarus, a nation closely allied with Russia. The embassy did not say when the soldiers went missing, and it thanked Lithuania’s military and police for helping American forces search for them.

“The soldiers, all from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time of the incident,” the embassy’s statement said.  

U.S. Army Europe and Africa later said the vehicle the missing soldiers had been operating, an M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle, had been found. 

“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. Recovery efforts are underway by U.S. Army and Lithuanian Armed Forces and civilian agencies,” USAEA said.