A new military facility was officially opened in Rokantiškės, Vilnius District, on Monday.
Built over the course of three years under a public-private partnership agreement, the new facility will be home to the Duke Vaidotas Infantry Battalion and is one of the three such facilities to be opened this year at a cost of 231 million euros.
Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas says the combat battalion based in Rokantiškės will boost Vilnius defences. Until now, the city has only had military units linked to military management.
“The combat battalion is now based right here, and our ability to defend the capital in crisis situations with all our forces has changed significantly for the better,” the minister said at the opening. “Not only because of the battalion, but also because of Germany’s decision to deploy a brigade and part of its infrastructure will be based in Vilnius, but most of which will be situated in [...] the military territory of the Rūdininkai training area.”
The Rokantiškės facility includes administrative and special-purpose buildings, such as barracks, a canteen, HQ, medical centre, chapel, sports facilities and squares as well as buildings for technical purposes and other necessary infrastructure.
Speaking about Vilnius’ defence, Anušauskas also mentioned the construction of a barracks in Pabradė for NATO’s ultra-high readiness forces, adding that, under the defence plans, more forces will be deployed in the areas where this infrastructure is situated.
Last week, another military facility was opened in Pajūris, Šilalė District, and one more facility in Šiauliai should be handed over to the armed forces in the spring.
“It is great that when the realisation came that we needed such infrastructure, it was quickly built both here and in Pajūris. Our troops will have excellent service conditions,” Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė told a press conference after the ceremony.
Anušauskas pointed out that the project was completed in exactly three years from the signing of the contract.
Lithuania will pay the full amount for the construction of the three facilities over 12 years, paying an average of 6 million euros per year for each military campus.
Lithuania’s Chief of Defence Valdemaras Rupšys says the military facility in Rokantiškės is important because it is the first time that a manoeuvre unit has been deployed close to the capital city.
“This is in line with our general ideas set out in our defence plans,” he said.
The three military facilities have been designed and constructed with all infrastructure required for a battalion-sized unit and purposefully adapted to the needs of a modern army. These are the largest infrastructure projects implemented by the Lithuanian Armed Forces over the last 30 years.
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