The first troops will be able to train at Rūdininkai, south of Vilnius and near the Belarusian border, as early as May, the Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.
The military training area was used by the Soviet focus and is now occupied by the Public Security Service. It will now be restored to also accommodate the country’s armed forces.
"If the bill is approved, the first soldiers could enter the training area as early as May, not two years later as previously planned," the ministry said on Wednesday.
Defence Minister Arvydas Anuauškas says Russia’s war in Ukraine has shown that military projects "need to be implemented now".
"Taking the existing situation and the increased defence budget into account, we are accelerating all possible processes that would contribute to the strengthening of the Lithuanian army," Anušauskas said.
The ministry says the establishment and servicing of the administrative and military training infrastructure within the training area will create up to 100 jobs.
The bill has yet to be approved by the government and then adopted by the Seimas.
The largest training areas in Lithuania are in Pabradė and Gaižiūnai. Due to the growth of the country's armed forces, as well as a rising number of allied troops, the current sites are no longer able to accommodate all units.
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