Lithuanian parliament votes unanimously to expand Tauragė military training ground

The Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday approved a government proposal to double the size of the Tauragė military training ground, with 90 lawmakers voting in favour and none opposed, LRT reports.

Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas told parliament the expansion into Jurbarkas district municipality was necessary to meet the needs of Lithuania’s growing armed forces. The area selected contains no private land, he said, with no homes, forests, or farmland owned by local residents.

The training ground, established in November 2024, will grow by 2,334 hectares under the plan. The expanded site will occupy state-owned land, including undeveloped parcels, and will be used exclusively for manoeuvres and basic infrastructure to support military exercises.

Kaunas stressed that live-fire ranges would not be built, and that all training would continue to use simulated munitions. “Military equipment and weapons will only be used with imitation devices, and exercises will remain limited to tactical manoeuvres and movement drills,” he said.

A recent public opinion survey by the Military Academy of Lithuania found that two-thirds of the country’s residents support the creation of new military training grounds or the expansion of existing ones.