National Guard commander: ammunition shortage forces training rethink
Latvia's National Guard commander Aivars Krjukovs says ammunition availability issues, worsened since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are affecting how the Guard plans its training. Balancing live-fire drills with building reserves has become a challenge.
National Guard (Zemessardze) commander, Brigadier General Aivars Krjukovs, said in the "Spried ar Delfi" programme that ammunition availability has become an issue affecting the training process of Latvia's National Guard since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Responding to a question from Delfi's foreign news editor Ansis Īvāns about how the ammunition situation affects training, Krjukovs explained that constantly using live combat ammunition for drills is not feasible, as it would come at the expense of learning other skills and building up the Guard's own reserves.
Balancing practice and stockpiling
According to the commander, the situation requires the National Guard to carefully reconsider how it plans training. If ammunition is used continuously for shooting exercises, it hampers both the development of other skills and the ability to establish and maintain the unit's own ammunition stores. A balanced approach is therefore needed to ensure both practical training and the necessary buildup of reserves.
Ammunition availability has become a pressing topic not only in Latvia but internationally since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as demand for ammunition has risen sharply in several countries.
