A search effort for four missing U.S. Army soldiers remains “ongoing” despite NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte suggesting on Wednesday that the soldiers had died during a training mission in Lithuania.
In a Thursday press release, U.S. Army Europe and Africa said, “The M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle the four missing U.S. Soldiers were operating during a training exercise has been located in Lithuania.”
U.S. Army Europe and Africa explained that the military vehicle was found by the U.S. Army, the Lithuanian Armed Forces, and other Lithuanian officials “submerged in a body of water” that was located in a training area. U.S. Army Europe and Africa added, “Recovery efforts are underway by U.S. Army and Lithuanian Armed Forces and civilian agencies.”
Talking with reporters on Wednesday, Rutte suggested that the four missing U.S. soldiers had died during the training mission. “This is still early news so we do not know the details,” he said. “This is really terrible news and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones.”
Following the secretary general’s comments, Allison Hart, a NATO spokesperson, tweeted, “On the 4 US soldiers missing in a military exercise in Lithuania, the search is ongoing. 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.”
READ MORE: US soldiers charged for selling military secrets to China
U.S. Army Europe and Africa reported that the four U.S. soldiers, who are all from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, went missing during a “tactical training” mission near Pabradė, Lithuania.
Addressing the training incident in a Wednesday statement on X, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrote, “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.”
As recovery efforts continue in Lithuania for the four missing U.S. soldiers, Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general of the V Corps, thanked the Lithuanian Armed Forces and the first responders who “quickly came to our aid in our search operations.”
“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,” Costanza added.
