Lithuania to review potential for military training zones as demand rises

Lithuania is set to expand its military training infrastructure, with the Defence Ministry considering the districts of Tauragė and Šilalė as potential sites for new training centres amid growing demand for military training.

Speaking before the Parliamentary Committee on Rural Affairs, Deputy Defence Minister Renius Pleškys (TS-LKD/EPP) stressed the importance of new military training infrastructure, Lithuanian media outlet LRT reports.

However, the initiative, which the parliament in Vilnius began debating in mid-July, faces challenges, including limited space and concerns from local communities about potential restrictions on their freedom of movement.

The government is keen to mitigate these problems, and Pleškys assured that efforts will be made to minimise disruption.

“We will try to look at the proposed areas and move them at least 100 metres in some places. The activities in that zone would have to be coordinated with the ministry,” Pleškys told the parliamentary committee.

“We understand that it would be inconvenient, so where we can, we will try to move it so that the military zone does not interfere with the activities,” he added.

Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas (TS-LKD/EPP) stressed the military’s need for additional training space and assured that these new areas would be legally designated for manoeuvres.

However, these areas will exclude heavy military activities and firing ranges in order to minimise disruption to local communities. Despite these assurances, local residents remain concerned that the status of these training areas could change in the future.

“The areas are minimised to the maximum, without encroaching on private areas, and there are other interests of different public groups, as they still want to reduce them,” Pleškys added. “We will not be able to satisfy everyone,” he admitted, referring to opposition from local communities.

These developments in Lithuania are a crucial step towards strengthening NATO’s eastern flank and providing long-term security for the Baltic states in the face of feared Russian encroachment.

In this series of geopolitical considerations, Germany announced the permanent deployment of 4,000 troops to the Baltic state in June 2023, and Lithuania began construction of the designated military base on Monday.

Lithuania has increased its defence spending to 3% of GDP this year, with Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė’s government raising taxes to fund defence needs, including the new training grounds and military base, for years to come.

(Jeremias Lin | Euractiv.com)