“Rapid expansion of the LAF structure and the growing number of Allied troops arriving to Lithuania have made the development of training grounds and their modernisation one of our priorities,” Giedrimas Jeglinskas, Vice-Minister of the National Defence, said.
Maj. Dainius Misiūnas, project manager of the expansion of the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ military training grounds and military training territories stated that the Pabradė training ground is soon to witness the completion of the installation of ammunition storage facilities, there are plans to install firing grounds for tracked and wheeled vehicles and aircraft, vehicle depots, vehicle wash facilities, vehicle repair garages, storage facilities, shooting targets hoists, other objects. Gaižiūnai will see the installation of various firing grounds, storage buildings, infrastructure for the service of firing grounds. The Mumaičiai military territory is to have a network of internal roads built, engineering systems installed as well as internal infrastructure for the vehicle storage and repair centre established. In the Air Base, reconstruction of the taxiway and the hangar apron is to be carried out.
All work in the objects organised by the Ministry of National Defence in cooperation with the United States of America is conducted using the funds allocated for projects based on the European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) in accordance with the agreement signed between Lithuania and the USA in 2014. Pursuant to this initiative, as many as EUR 37 million are planned to be allocated for the expansion of the LAF infrastructure in the period from 2017 to 2019.
The work is organised by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). Lithuanian companies are also actively invited to participate in the NSPA’s tenders
Construction work financed by the ERI is organised in Lithuania by the NSPA on the basis of the US order. Tenders announced by the NATO agency back in 2015 for the procurement of services of modernisation and development of the LAF infrastructure received 11 bids of participants from the USA, Estonia, Latvia, and Turkey. For instance, the successful tenderer for the provision of expansion services in the training grounds in Pabradė and Gaižiūnai is Hatcon, a Turkish company, which has international experience in installing military infrastructure. Hatcon chose a Lithuanian company Statybų Inžinerinės Paslaugos, UAB as its subcontractor which conducts the designing services in relation to the required work. In addition, this company performs works in Mumaičiai. Besides, Lithuania’s companies also supply the required materials and services to this Turkish company. Meanwhile, the reconstruction and modernisation of the Air Base is carried out by Mitnija, UAB, a Lithuanian company which won the tender announced by the NSPA. The company undertook to conduct designing activities and to reconstruct the area around the hangar – the apron – as well as the reconstruction of the taxiway.
“In future, a number of works will be conducted through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, we, therefore, urge the Lithuanian construction companies to actively participate in tenders and register in the Agency’s databases. I have no doubt that our companies are fully capable of ensuring quality services”, Mr Jeglinskas, Vice-Minister of National Defence, said. According to the Vice-Minister, a more active participation of the Lithuania construction companies in tenders organised by the NSPA would create conditions for the absorption of the investors’ money by the Lithuanian entities.
For more information on the tenders organised by the NSPA read: http://www.nspa.nato.int/en/organization/procurement/supplier.htm
The project on the development of the LAF military training grounds and military training territories is anticipated to be implemented in stages and will be completed before 2022. This will require an EUR 81 million investment. The funding is to be received in equal instalments from three sources: the Lithuanian State Investment Programme, the US funded European Reassurance Initiative, and NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP).
The Ministry of National Defence serves as a mediator to receive documents required for the performance of construction activities and is committed to carry out the preparation of sites intended for the objects of the planned ERI infrastructure, felling and removal of stumps as well as mine-clearing.
The implementation of the project on the expansion and development of the LAF military training grounds and military training territories is aimed at providing proper conditions for exercises to be performed both by the Lithuanian and Allied troops. The goal is to have two fully installed and NATO requirements meeting training grounds of the Lithuanian Armed Forces located in Pabradė and Rukla (where the Gaižiūnai training ground area is found) so as to train and prepare troops before the year of 2021.
