FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - Representatives from Lithuania's Army Training Center visited the installation during early February 2016 to get an in-depth look at the operation of some of the training facilities located here and gauge best practices and lessons learned in operating them as they develop similar live-fire and combined-arms training resources to train their soldiers.
"The Pennsylvania Army National Guard-Lithuanian Live Fire Shoot House exchange demonstrates continued growth in our State Partnership Program, expanding the scope of military-to-military events focusing on simulations systems and program design," said Maj. Randy Lutz, Pennsylvania’s State Partnership Program director. "The Pennsylvania National Guard remains committed to fostering and strengthening our state partnership with Lithuania."
Key elements visited included the Combined Arms Collective Training Facility and associated Range Operations Center, Live Fire Shoot House and Virtual Battle Space simulators.
"The overall impression of installations within Fort Indiantown Gap was very good," said Maj. Ernestas Gaigalas, Juozas Lukša Training Center commandant. "All of them completely serve their purpose and that's the most important thing. We really liked most of them."
Meetings were also held with the installation's range control staff as well as with personnel from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard's Marksmanship Training Unit to assist the Lithuanians with further development of their training facilities and programs.
"We were able to pick up some hints [to] reference possible improvements at our training area," said Gaigalas. "We discussed the training program for the course of live firing at the shoot house and drew the preliminary time schedule for possible future training events both in Pennsylvania and Lithuania."
The Pennsylvania National Guard established a relationship with Lithuania in 1993 as part of the National Guard's State Partnership Program.