BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 10. Slovenian Armed
Forces presented the renovated and modernized Crngrob shooting
range near Škofja Loka, showcasing its technical capabilities and
enhanced safety, noise reduction, and fire protection measures,
Trend
reports.
The presentation was attended by the Commander of the Forces,
Brigadier Boštjan Močnik. In his speech, he emphasized not only the
improved standards and better conditions for shooting training, but
also the importance of raising the overall readiness of the
Slovenian Armed Forces. He also spoke about cooperation with the
local community.
The officer in charge of introducing the range into operational
use, Lieutenant Colonel Aleš Kesič, highlighted that the renovation
represents an important step toward improving the combat training
of Slovenian Armed Forces personnel and ensuring more transparent
and safer training. He also pointed out noise mitigation measures
as well as flood and fire protection improvements.
The range is designed for standardized shooting with pistols,
automatic rifles, and light machine guns, which allow members of
the Slovenian Armed Forces to meet their annual shooting standards.
It is also used for close-range shooting, which serves as a
transition to tactical combat shooting—training the armed forces
for operations in urban environments and counterterrorism
missions—as well as for competitive shooting, through which the
military develops shooting excellence. In the coming days, the
range will host an international shooting competition.
Since the Crngrob range is located near the villages of Crngrob,
Šutna, and Dorfarje, part of the investment’s goal was to minimize
the impact of military training on the local environment. The
firing sector closest to the village of Crngrob was shut down,
while both boundary sectors were enclosed with 3.5-meter-high
ballistic walls. Noise measurements show that noise toward Crngrob
has been reduced by half, though the situation toward Dorfarje has
not improved.
Therefore, the Slovenian Armed Forces have erected an additional
ballistic wall behind the firing positions in one sector and will
build another as soon as a new maintenance and construction
contract is signed. Ballistic walls around the entire range, facing
all nearby villages, are expected to be completed later this year.
Special attention was also given to the installation of bullet
traps and targets. The renovation additionally strengthened the
site’s fire and flood safety. The water basin, which provides
firefighting water for the village of Crngrob—where there is no
hydrant network—was refurbished, and its water level can now be
regulated.
The range is primarily intended for training the Slovenian Armed
Forces, but in accordance with government regulations, it can also
be used by the Police and other state bodies or organizations whose
activities serve the public interest in the field of defense.
Before the renovation, approximately 7,000 personnel trained
annually at the range. According to the Defense Act, the Slovenian
Armed Forces conduct military education and training for commanding
armed combat and other forms of defense, maintain required
readiness levels, fulfill contractual obligations undertaken by the
country within international organizations, and, in the event of an
attack on the country, carry out military defense.
The renovation of the shooting range, completed in spring, cost
2.7 million euros.
