Canadian-led battle group to be upgraded to brigade level

On Wednesday, 3 July, a ceremony will be held at the Ādaži military base to mark the launch of the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Latvia Battle Group's upgrade to brigade level and the establishment of the new NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia which will be comprised of more than 3,500 troops.
The ceremony will be attended by representatives of the Ministry of Defence and National Armed Forces, Major General Jette Albinus, Commander of the Multinational Division "North", and Colonel Cédric Aspirault, Commander of the NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia.

"Ahead of the upcoming NATO Summit in Washington, we will launch the first NATO Multinational Brigade inthe Baltics, implementing the decision taken jointly at the NATO Madrid Summit. The close and successful cooperation between Latvia and Canada demonstrates that NATO Allies are implementing the principle of "one for all and all for one". Together, we will continue our determined efforts to transform the Multinational Battle Group into a Brigade, strengthening NATO's deterrence and defence capabilities and the security of every Latvian citizen," said Minister of Defence Andris Sprūds.

As reported earlier, at the NATO Summit in Madrid in June 2022, Latvia and Canada signed a declaration on the strengthening and further development of the NATO Enhanced Presence Battle Group in Latvia.
Last July, prior to the NATO Summit in Vilnius, the Latvian and Canadian Defence Ministers signed a roadmap at the Adaži military base, outlining the progress achieved so far and identifying the next steps in the build-up of the Battle Group to a Brigade.

The roadmap outlines a three-phased approach to raising the Canadian-led enhanced presence in Latvia to a combat-capable Multinational Brigade - a preparation and planning phase, a build-up phase and a full readiness phase.

“As of this day, I will assume the lead on the build up and set the conditions for the arrival of other Battle Groups getting ready to join the team. Even if this is a Canadian Led Brigade, we will have the privilege to serve with thirteen other countries that provides unique expertise and exceptionnal capabilties. Latvia authorities and key players supported and enabled every signle steps of our preparation: we would not be in this great posture without their support. I am strongly priviliged and proud to be part of the first team that will establish the foundation for many years. Every contributing nations directly impact the success of the buildup, but this is not only a single national success, this is the success of a strong alliance protecting the peace of our world”, said commander of NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia.

The ceremony on 3 July will mark one of the phases of the Battle Group's buildup with more activities to come over the upcoming months scaling the current Canada-led multinational Battle Group to a combat-capable multinational Brigade. The brigade is expected to reach full combat readiness by 2026.

Current NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Latvia is led by Canada. It is currently comprised of more than 1,700 troops from Albania, Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, Canada, Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Iceland and North Macedonia, deployed to Latvia on rotational basis. Denmark and Sweden will also be part of the new NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia.
 

Media Invitation

Members of the media are invited to attend the ceremony dedicated to the establishment of the NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia on Wednesday, 3 July, from 9.00 to 10.30 a.m. at the military base "Ādaži". Arrival at the base checkpoint by 8.30.

In order to be cover the event, it is necessary to apply in advance, by 3.00 p.m. on 2 July, by sending an e-mail to prese@mod.gov.lv and indicating the media outlet, name and personal identity number. Please bring a passport or identity card with you.

Please note that your data will only be processed for the purposes of the event. The data will be stored until the end of the event on 3 July.

Media contacts:

MoD Military Public Affairs Department
Media Relations Section
Phone: 67335393
E-mail: prese@mod.gov.lv