Today, October 2, a new modular structure facility, Camp Jonas, was inaugurate at Kazlų Rūda. It has been designed to ensure living and training conditions for Allied and Lithuanian military personnel. The Ministry of National Defence develops Host Nation Support infrastructure to facilitate a quicker, more efficient and more convenient deployment of Allied forces to Lithuania.
“The Government of Lithuania allocated additional funding to construct permanent camps when the war in Ukraine was begun. It is a necessary facility to ensure a fast, flexible and effective accommodation to Allied forces deploying to our country, and to the Lithuanian military as well. Camp Jonas was fully constructed within a particularly short period, just a year,” Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas said.
Another new modular camp, Vytenis, was unveiled as recently as a month ago, and it has been followed by Camp Jonas in Kazlų Rūda very quickly. In three years, three modular camps have been built: Camp Jonas in Kazlų Rūda, Camp Vytenis in Marijampolė, and in 2021 – Camp Herkus in Pabradė. The latter was expanded and rearranged this spring to be able to host additional U.S. troops. The three camps, Jonas, Vytenis, and Herkus, Lithuania has at the moment accommodate 2,500 military personnel if there is a necessity.
The three facilities come as Lithuania’s implementation of the Host Nation Support commitment. In the event of necessity, Camps Jonas, Herkus or Vytenis, will be ready to take in deploying Allied forces and ensure all force needs: availability of military infrastructure, communications and information technology, accommodation, lodging and meals, other services. In peacetime, Camp Jonas will be used to deploy and train Lithuanian forces.
Starting October 2, the facility will accommodate 400 Continuous Mandatory Initial Military Service conscripts until Christmas. The 1st Battalion of the Lithuanian Great Hetman Jonušas Radvila Training Regiment will deliver to them the Basic Military Training Course.
The modular facility Camp Jonas comprises living, workspace, leisure space and sanitary containers, as well as different sheds: for vehicle repair, sports facility, mess hall and equipment repair depot. It also has open air and indoor sports grounds, sanitary sewer, solid surface parking lots, water and sewage tanks. The vehicle fleet 15,000 m² parking lot supports a battalion with 150 vehicles.
Camp Jonas can host 800 troops, has nearly 100 computerized workplaces. The total worth of the camp amounts to EUR 17.7 million. Sanitary areas with sewer network were refurbished for EUR 8 million, brand new sheds cost EUR 10 million.
“Quick pace and quality of military infrastructure development is an important aspect of strengthening national security and deterrence policy. Ongoing infrastructure development projects respond to the need of Allied forces deployed in Lithuania and doubtlessly strengthen the Lithuanian Armed Forces,” said Brigadier General Modestas Petrauskas, Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Training and Doctrine Command.
The Ministry of Defence has approx. 200 projects of different scope open and financed with approx. 10% of the Defence Budget. This year alone that amounts to over EUR 130 million, while the additional EUR 128 million allocated under the Law on Temporary Bank Solidarity Contribution for NATO Brigade infrastructure at Rūdninkai doubled the amount of appropriations for infrastructure development. Approx. 10 percent of defence budget is spent on Lithuanian Armed Forces infrastructure development, though the proportion is significantly increasing in the recent years.
Military infrastructure development is conducted on the basis of three major criteria: compliance with Host Nation Support requirements, Armed Forces personnel growth, Armed Forces modernization with newly acquired weaponry and equipment and proper service, ammunition storage and parking conditions.
