NATO completes first large-scale military exercise in Latvia

The first large-scale NATO military exercise in Latvia wrapped up Thursday after a two-week multinational training mission in the regions of Vidzeme and Zemgale.

At the military base near the capital Riga, soldiers were tasked with breaking through the enemy’s defences and recovering territory in a multifaceted exercise involving Leopard 2 tanks and LAV4 armoured vehicles.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the alliance has been keen to beef up security in the Baltics, linking Latvia and Canada in particular.

At the NATO Madrid Summit in June of the same year, the ministers of defence for the two countries signed a joint declaration to bolster the deterrence and defence of NATO’s eastern flank.

“The NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia exercise is a clear and unequivocal demonstration of the allied presence in the Baltic region and their commitment, together with the national armed forces, to protect Latvia, if necessary,” Latvia’s Defence Minister Andris Sprūds in a statement prior to the exercise.

The largest international exercise Canada has led since the 1980s, Operation Resolute Warrior showcased the brigade’s ability to project its forces and maintain command, control, and communication.

“We were able to speak to all of us, having 13 countries during that exercise. I was making sure that it was not a Canadian brigade where people were adapting to the way we do things,” explained the commander of Multinational Brigade Latvia, Canadian Army Colonel Cédric Aspirault.

“We wanted to make sure that we do a NATO standard brigade with NATO planning processes and NATO orders,” he added.

The NATO nultinational brigade in Latvia currently consists of 13 contributing nations, including Albania, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.