Sweden to join NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia

On Thursday, December 12, the parliament of Sweden approved the proposal to join the NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia on a long-term basis with one mechanized infantry battalion of up to 600 soldiers.

“The addition of Sweden to the NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia will be a significant contribution to the security of the Baltic Sea region and to the collective defence of NATO allies. The increase in the number of allied soldiers on our territory is a clear signal to Russia that NATO is ready to defend each and every one of its member states from the very first centimeter of their borders,” emphasized Minister of Defence Andris Sprūds.

The Swedish soldiers are expected to arrive at the Ādaži military base at the start of next year. This will be the first time that Sweden deploys its soldiers in another NATO member state ever since joining NATO in March 7 2024.

It has already been reported that Sweden, when joining NATO, announced its intent to participate in the NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia by deploying a combat batallion on the territory of Latvia. NATO Multinational brigade in Latvia currently brings together the forces of 13 NATO member states – Albania, Czech Republic, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Canada, Latvia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. 

At the NATO summit in Madrid in 2022, the Defence Ministers of Canada and Latvia signed a joint declaration to strengthen the defence of NATO’s eastern flank. In 2023, a joint road map was published for a three phase approach: preparation, construction and stability, which culminated with the official establishment of the Multinational Brigade in July 2024, upgrading the existing NATO Battlegroup to brigade level and significantly increasing NATO’s presence in Latvia. 
 

MoD Military Public Affairs Department
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E-mail: prese@mod.gov.lv