U.S. Soldiers Missing in Lithuania Peat Bog During Training

Search and recovery operations continued Friday in Lithuania as hundreds of American and Lithuanian personnel scoured a military training area for four missing U.S. soldiers whose armored recovery vehicle became submerged in a peat bog.

The soldiers, operating an M88 Hercules armored vehicle, disappeared during a training exercise at the Pabrade training ground, located near Lithuania’s border with Belarus. Their vehicle was found more than five meters below the surface of the bog on Wednesday, but the crew remains unaccounted for.

According to U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Kara C. McDonald, a U.S. Navy diving team was expected to arrive Friday to assist with underwater operations.

U.S. forces have maintained a rotational presence at the Pabrade site since 2019 as part of NATO’s deterrence posture in the region. The terrain, known for its dense woodlands and marshes, has made recovery efforts difficult.

Lithuanian and U.S. military personnel, supported by dozens of vehicles, continue to search the area, including nearby forests, in hopes of locating the missing servicemembers.