4 U.S. Soldiers Who Went Missing In Lithuania Have Been Reported Dead

NATO’s Secretary-General has announced the four U.S. soldiers who went missing while training in Lithuania have been confirmed dead.

U.S. officials did not give any details regarding their deaths besides confirming they died in a training accident.

Lithuanian Armed Forces shared, “Four United States soldiers and one tracked vehicle have gone missing during an exercise at a training ground in Lithuania. At the moment, there is no evidence or information confirming the death of the troops.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated, “Four of our brave soldiers from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division are currently missing in Lithuania.”

“They were conducting scheduled tactical training. Our prayers are with their families, teammates, the entire unit—and everyone conducting search operations. Nothing our troops do — whether in combat or in training — is ever routine. We will not rest until our troops are found,” added Hegseth.

Four of our brave soldiers from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division are currently missing in Lithuania. They were conducting scheduled tactical training. Our prayers are with their families, teammates, the entire unit—and everyone conducting search operations. Nothing our troops… https://t.co/mIVklSD2BK

— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) March 26, 2025

Check out what AP reported:

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Wednesday that four U.S. soldiers who went missing while training in Lithuania have died, but that he did not yet know the details.

A U.S. official would say only that the four soldiers were involved in a training accident. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, would not comment on the status of the soldiers.

Lithuania’s military said later on X that the deaths were not yet confirmed and that a rescue operation was “intensively ongoing.”

“Four United States soldiers and one tracked vehicle have gone missing during an exercise at a training ground in Lithuania. At the moment, there is no evidence or information confirming the death of the troops,” the Lithuanian Armed Forces said in the statement.

Rutte said during a trip to Warsaw that he had received word of the deaths of the four soldiers while he was delivering a lecture, and that his thoughts were with their families and with the United States.

Four Missing US Army Troops In Lithuania Found Dead: NATO https://t.co/RXRx16s6US

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) March 26, 2025

Four U.S. soldiers went missing during tactical training in Lithuania, not far from its border with Belarus, the Pentagon says.

A search-and-recovery effort is underway for the soldiers. https://t.co/IXafbDsdBO

— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 26, 2025

Per NBC News:

Four U.S. soldiers went missing during tactical training in Lithuania, not far from its border with Belarus, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

The soldiers were in a training area near the town of Pabradė, which is about 30 miles south of the capital, Vilnius, and 6 miles from Lithuania’s border with Belarus, officials said.

The missing Americans were riding in their M88 recovery vehicle that “was discovered submerged in a body of water in a training area,” the Army said.

The Army had been training with Lithuanian armed forces and law enforcement, authorities said.

A search and recovery effort is underway for the soldiers, who are all from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.