The Government of Estonia decided to expand the Sirgala training area, which is necessary for the development of military capabilities. The Sirgala training area will be expanded only at the expense of state land.
“There is enough state land surrounding the Sirgala training area in northeast Estonia to expand the training area as needed. The extension of the Sirgala training area has been in the planning stages for a long time and is not coming as a surprise. We have done this through the normal planning process. I would like to thank all of the local authorities and residents, who are cooperating with us and are understanding,” said Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur.
The training area will expand from the current 2,790 hectares to 7,758.7 hectares. The extension of the training area has been included in the rural municipality’s comprehensive plan since 2005, and comes as no surprise. “The expansion is fully covered by state land, and we will make use of the former oil shale quarry. No private property will remain within the expansion area,” Pevkur confirmed.
The Sirgala training area, which has been in operation since 2008, is currently unable to provide the necessary military training. At present, the training area can be used to organise live-fire exercises for platoon-sized units, the firing of anti-tank weapons, mortars and heavy machine guns, and armoured vehicle training, but it is not possible to carry out combat manoeuvres with mechanised units that enhance Estonia’s military capabilities. It is also not possible for mechanised units to fire while moving within the current training area. The extension of the training area will ensure capabilities that have been lacking until now.
The Sirgala training area is located in the town of Narva-Jõesuu, which will receive a three-fold increase in disturbance compensation following the expansion. In addition to the town of Narva-Jõesuu, the expansion will also cover the rural municipalities of Toila and Alutaguse, which will begin receiving disturbance compensation for the first time. For the purposes of the disturbance compensation, the Sirgala expansion must be fixed by a decision of the Government of the Republic.
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