Efforts continue by U.S. and Lithuanian personnel March 27 in the search and recovery for four missing U.S. Army soldiers and their M88 armored vehicle near Pabradė, Lithuania.
Work continues around the clock, with bulldozers and excavators in use, and additional access routes being constructed to reach the swampy area, enabling progress in retrieving submerged equipment and advancing the search.
"We are leveraging every available U.S. and Lithuanian asset to coordinate for and provide the required resources for this effort," said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, the commanding general of 1st Armored Division.
The soldiers, assigned to 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, have been missing since the early hours of March 25 wEfforts continue by U.S. and Lithuanian personnel in the search and recovery for four missing U.S. Army soldiers and their M88 armored vehicle near Pabradė, Lithuania.
Work continues around the clock, with bulldozers and excavators in use, and additional access routes being constructed to reach the swampy area, enabling progress in retrieving submerged equipment and advancing the search.
"We are leveraging every available U.S. and Lithuanian asset to coordinate for and provide the required resources for this effort," said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, the commanding general of 1st Armored Division.
The soldiers, assigned to 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, have been missing since the early hours of March 25 while conducting a maintenance mission to recover another U.S. Army vehicle in the training area during scheduled unit training. Search and recovery efforts by U.S. and Lithuanian personnel have continued without pause.
The U.S. Army continues coordinating for additional subject matter experts and equipment to include a specialized U.S. Navy Dive Crew from team CTF68. The dive crew is expected to arrive on site within the next 24 hours.
“We will not lose hope until the very last moment. We are doing everything in our power to locate the missing soldiers. For Lithuania, just as for the United States, no one is left behind. To us, U.S. troops are not just allies—they are our soldiers, our friends,” said Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė during her visit to the operation site alongside the Lithuanian Armed Forces Commander. The minister noted that constant communication is maintained with the families of the missing U.S. soldiers in Pabradė, ensuring they receive the latest updates first.
The vehicle was found submerged approximately 15 feet under a body of water and mud in a boggy area of the Pabradė Training Area, Lithuania, March 26. Over the last 72 hours recovery teams consisting of U.S. Army soldiers, Lithuanian Armed Forces, and other Lithuanian authorities and contractors have been working around the clock to drain water, dig, and dredge the mud that surrounds the vehicle to be able to extract it. Due to the conditions of the terrain, this is a complex and difficult operation.
"We are incredibly appreciative of the dedicated and professional efforts of our Lithuanian allies in ensuring the safety of U.S. personnel," added Taylor. "They have worked tirelessly alongside us over the last 48 hours and we continue to be grateful for their support.”
The challenges presented by the water, thick mud and soft ground around the site have complicated recovery efforts and have required specialized equipment to drain water from the side and stabilize the ground.
The area around the site is incredibly wet and marshy and doesn’t support the weight of the equipment needed for the recovery of the 70-ton vehicle without significant engineering improvements. Draining the area has been slow and difficult due to ground water seepage.
“Due to the terrain, this is an incredibly complex engineering effort. The team on the ground is working to remove enough water and mud for rescue teams to safely reach, stabilize, and access the vehicle,” said Maj. Robin Bruce, 1st Armored Division engineer. “Lithuanian and U.S. Army engineers are currently pumping water and excavating mud from the site and making improvements to the surrounding area to support the heavy equipment needed for recovery. The team is exploring every available option to speed up this process.”
The 3rd ID is continuing to keep families of the soldiers informed on the status of search efforts.
"This tragic situation weighs heavily on all of us and we’re keeping the families, friends and teammates of our soldiers and recovery team in our thoughts and prayers," Taylor said. "We want everyone to know, we will not stop until our soldiers are found."
A large capacity slurry pump, cranes, more than 30 tons of gravel, and subject matter experts from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are just some of the assets that arrived on site to assist with accessing the M88. The Polish Armed Forces have also volunteered a unit of military engineers, which is bringing in an additional water pump, tracked recovery vehicles, other additional equipment and supplies needed along with 150 personnel to aid in the effort.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Kara C. McDonald and Maj. Gen. Taylor visited the site earlier this morning to gain a better understanding of the complexity of the operation. They also visited with recovery teams and thanked them for their continued efforts.
“I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian Armed Forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations,” said Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, the V Corps commander and the former commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division. “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.”
hile conducting a maintenance mission to recover another U.S. Army vehicle in the training area during scheduled unit training. Search and recovery efforts by U.S. and Lithuanian personnel have continued without pause.
“We will not lose hope until the very last moment. We are doing everything in our power to locate the missing soldiers. For Lithuania, just as for the United States, no one is left behind. To us, U.S. troops are not just allies — they are our soldiers, our friends,” said Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė during her visit to the operation site alongside the Lithuanian Armed Forces Commander. The minister noted that constant communication is maintained with the families of the missing U.S. soldiers in Pabradė, ensuring they receive the latest updates first.
The vehicle was discovered the morning of March 26 submerged in a body of water in a training area after continuous search efforts by U.S. Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces and other Lithuanian authorities. The initial search effort through the thick forests and swampy terrain involved ground-based search parties from hundreds of U.S and Lithuanian soldiers and law enforcement, Lithuanian military helicopters and diving teams.
"We are incredibly appreciative of the dedicated and professional efforts of our Lithuanian allies in ensuring the safety of U.S. personnel," added Taylor. "They have worked tirelessly alongside us and we continue to be grateful for their support.”
The challenges presented by the water, thick mud and soft ground around the site have complicated recovery efforts and have required specialized equipment to drain water from the side and stabilize the ground.
Engineers on site are working to create berms. These berms — barriers built of dirt and sand from the nearby terrain — are designed to create a contained area from which water can be pumped and mud dredged, providing emergency personnel on site access to the vehicle.
“Due to the terrain, this is an incredibly complex engineering effort. The team on the ground is working to remove enough water and mud for rescue teams to safely reach, stabilize, and access the vehicle,” said Maj. Robin Bruce, 1st Armored Division engineer. “Lithuanian and U.S. Army engineers are currently pumping water and excavating mud from the site and making improvements to the surrounding area to support the heavy equipment needed for recovery. The team is exploring every available option to speed up this process.”
The 3rd ID is continuing to keep families of the soldiers informed on the status of search efforts.
"This tragic situation weighs heavily on all of us and we’re keeping the families, friends and teammates of our soldiers and recovery team in our thoughts and prayers," Taylor said. "We want everyone to know, we will not stop until our soldiers are found."
Support also has been provided by the Polish Armed Forces with a group of troops with engineering equipment to assist in the search and rescue operation.
“I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian Armed Forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations,” said Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, the V Corps commander and the former commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division. “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.”
