Canada has signed an agreement to upgrade Latvia’s 2,000-strong brigade to a brigade, boosting its troop numbers and pledging to lead it for at least the next five years. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed on Monday that NATO’s eight Baltic battle groups would increase in brigade-level forces, doubling the number of troops between 3,000 and 5,000.
NATO’s largest force stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea is intended to repel a possible Russian attack. Defense Minister Anita Anand signed the agreement with her Latvian counterpart at the NATO summit in Madrid, along with Prime Minister Justin Trinto and the Latvian president. Germany and Britain have both said in recent weeks that they were ready to lead larger combat units in Lithuania and Estonia. Details of how many troops or pieces of equipment will be deployed to support the Canadian-led battle team in Latvia have not yet been released. This Canadian Press report was first published on June 29, 2022. – With archives from Lee Berthiaume in Ottawa
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