NATO officials have clarified remarks made by Secretary-General Mark Rutte regarding the fate of four U.S. Army soldiers who went missing during a training exercise in Lithuania. Contrary to Rutte’s earlier suggestion that the soldiers had died, NATO issued a statement on Wednesday emphasizing that their status remains unconfirmed and that search efforts are ongoing.
“The search is ongoing,” NATO stated in a message on X. “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.”
The missing soldiers, all from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia, were conducting tactical training when their M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle was reported missing on Tuesday afternoon. The vehicle was later found submerged in a body of water near the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė, a town located less than six miles from the Belarusian border. Recovery efforts involving the U.S. Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces, and civilian agencies are underway.
During a trip to Warsaw, Rutte had initially stated that he received news of the soldiers’ deaths while delivering a lecture. However, NATO later walked back his statement, stressing that details remain uncertain. “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.
The incident has drawn attention at the highest levels, though as of Wednesday evening, President Donald Trump stated that he had not been briefed on the missing soldiers. “No, I haven’t,” Trump told reporters when asked about the situation.
The U.S. Army has provided limited details on the circumstances surrounding the incident. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the event as a “training accident” but declined to comment further on the soldiers’ conditions, according to The Associated Press. The U.S. military assured that updates would be provided as information becomes available, and that the 3rd Infantry Division is keeping the soldiers’ families informed.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with our Raider Brigade Soldiers and Families during the search for our four missing Dogface Soldiers in Lithuania,” the 3rd Infantry Division posted on Facebook.
Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, the V Corps commanding general, expressed gratitude to Lithuanian authorities for their assistance in search operations. “I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian Armed Forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations,” Costanza said in a written statement. “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 training ground where the incident occurred is in a geopolitically sensitive region, with Lithuania and neighboring Baltic states Latvia and Estonia maintaining tense relations with Russia and its ally Belarus. Since Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990, its ties with Moscow have remained strained, particularly following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has been an outspoken supporter of Ukraine in its defense against Russian forces.
Fort Stewart did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the missing soldiers. Search efforts remain active as military officials and local authorities work to determine what happened and locate the soldiers.
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