The site of the search operations at the training ground near Pabrade, Lithuania, March 28, 2025 (Photo: x.com/LTU_Army)
U.S. Army officers reported that a powerful slurry pump, cranes, more than 30 tons of gravel, and specialists from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are among the resources deployed to help recover the M88 Hercules armored vehicle, which was submerged in a marshy area at Lithuania’s Pabrade training ground.
In addition to U.S. forces, Polish military engineers voluntarily provided support, sending a unit with an extra water pump, tracked recovery vehicles, additional equipment, and 150 personnel to assist in the operation.
The M88 Hercules was found submerged about five meters under water and mud.
Over the past 72 hours, emergency rescue teams, including U.S. Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces, and other local contractors, have been working around the clock to pump water, excavate, and dredge the area to recover the vehicle.
American officers noted that the recovery operation is complicated by the swampy terrain, which cannot support the weight of the equipment needed to extract the 70-ton vehicle.
Groundwater seepage is also slowing efforts to drain the area.
U.S. Army representatives are coordinating the deployment of additional experts and equipment, including a specialized U.S. Navy diving team from the CTF68 team.
On March 26, the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania reported that four American servicemen, who had been taking part in exercises near the Pabrade training ground, went missing near the Belarus border.
The missing soldiers were from the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division.
Lithuanian military officials also confirmed that a tracked vehicle had gone missing during the exercises.
On March 27, U.S. Army officials confirmed that the missing soldiers had been traveling in the M88 Hercules vehicle, which was found submerged in a reservoir after a search involving U.S. and Lithuanian forces.
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