Patria camp trains Latvian youths in military skills

Thirty young people from across Latvia are learning basic military and technology skills at a specialised state defence training camp in Valmiera, LSM reported. On Monday, participants rode in a Patria 6×6 armoured vehicle and toured the plant where the vehicles are made.

The participants were driven around the Patria test track, including up a steep hill used to test the braking systems of armoured personnel carriers.

Paula Ozoliņa from Tukums said the ride gave her an experience she had never had before. “You get in, put on all the straps, and then you drive. It is really, really interesting, something I have never experienced before and probably will not experience again,” she said. “At times I felt a little dizzy, but then you get used to it.”

Jaunsardze instructor Normunds Burmistrovs said the experience was especially valuable for young people considering careers in the military. “You can ride in it, feel it and see what it is like, how the soldiers work every day and how they feel sitting inside,” he said.

During the visit to the Patria Latvia plant, the young people also learned about armoured steel. At Valmiera Technical School, they are receiving their first lessons in metalworking and engineering.

The camp is the first pilot event of its kind. Organisers received so many applications that they had to select the participants.