“The Ministry of Environment has submitted seven territories
to the authorities for a new military training ground, but none of them fully
meet the requirements, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) reported on
Thursday.
“The Ministry of Environment has submitted variants of seven
territories, we thank our colleagues for their very prompt work. Unfortunately,
the required 20 thousand hectares of land are not available in one territory in
the whole of tiny Lithuania, so we will have to combine territories and look at
the situation in a different creative way,” the report quotes Deputy Minister
of National Defense Orijana Mašalė.
“Specialists of the National Defense System are currently
conducting an analysis of theoretical sites, and will soon begin a detailed
physical inspection of the territories. We plan to name specific areas at the
end of the summer,” she said.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the ministry plans to
prepare the necessary draft laws and submit a final proposal for the training
ground for the autumn session of the Seimas, as mandated by the State Defense
Council held on Wednesday.
The Vice Minister emphasized that
final decisions will be made only after listening to local communities.
“We discussed with representatives of the Lithuanian
Association of Municipalities their proposals regarding possible benefits for
municipalities in whose territories training grounds or military training areas
would operate. We also discussed the possibility of municipalities allocating
state funds for dual-purpose projects that are valuable to both the military
and the local community. We hope to find a final joint decision by autumn,”
said O. Mašalė.
A location for a new brigade-sized military training ground
is being sought in Lithuania in order to create a national division, as the
number of allied soldiers increases, the number of conscripts and the reserve
grows, and new military equipment is acquired.
According to preliminary data, the location for the training
ground is being chosen in Eastern and Southern Lithuania, with the aim of it
being located “as close as possible to the territories of unfriendly states”.
This requires a territory of 20,000 hectares.
Last autumn, the Seimas decided to establish new training
grounds in the Tauragė and Šilalė districts, but they will be smaller and will
be intended only for maneuvering.
Would like two training grounds
O. Mašalė says that Lithuania is
aiming to establish not one, but two new such military territories.
“We are currently talking about the
possible formation of two training grounds, because we see the huge needs of
both the Lithuanian Armed Forces and the allied armies. And our goal is to look
for two territories suitable for training grounds”, the vice minister told BNS
on Thursday.
One training ground should be the size of a brigade, and the
size of the other training ground is planned to be decided after a physical
inspection of the territories.
“One must definitely be a
brigade-sized training ground so that combat exercises can be conducted there.
As for the territory of the other training ground, well, we will look at it
based on what we find on the spot,” said O. Mašalė.
Once the inspection of the territories has begun, the list
of potential locations is planned to be further narrowed down. The military
would like the new training ground to be located in Southern or North-Eastern
Lithuania.
“We are still evaluating those theoretical models, maps, our
team members are working on analyzing those seven territories that are the most
suitable. Then we will narrow it down to a smaller number. And that is why we
say that the practical inspection of the locations will begin next week, when
we have a slightly smaller number,” said the vice minister.”
Just like in
the time of Smetona. Little Lithuania is exploding with military junk, and if
China comes looking for the end of the Silk Road, we will surrender without a
shot.
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