Lithuania will establish a new brigade-sized military training area in Kapčiamiestis, southern Lazdijai District, and double the size of its existing Tauragė site in the west, the State Defence Council announced on Monday.
“According to the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the chosen site is the most suitable from both a military and national security perspective. It is located in the so-called Suwałki Gap, bordering Poland and Belarus,” President Gitanas Nausėda’s chief national security adviser, Deividas Matulionis, told reporters after the council meeting.
He noted that defence of the corridor will receive special attention from Lithuania, Poland and NATO.
The Tauragė training area will also be expanded into neighbouring Jurbarkas District, doubling its current size.
“The president sincerely thanks the municipalities involved for their constructive cooperation. These training areas are vital for developing the division and ensuring conditions for the largest possible presence of allied forces in Lithuania,” Matulionis added.
Lithuania’s expansion plans reflect the creation of a national army division, a growing allied troop presence, rising numbers of conscripts and reservists, and new military equipment acquisitions.
Germany has pledged to deploy a brigade of several thousand troops to Lithuania by 2027.
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