The ceremony will be attended by representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the National Armed Forces, the Commander of the NATO Multinational Division "North" Major General Jette Albinus and the Commander of the NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia, Colonel Cédric Aspirault.
"Even before the upcoming NATO summit in Washington, Latvia will launch the first NATO multinational brigade in the Baltics, implementing the decision jointly adopted at the NATO Madrid summit," said Defense Minister Andris Sprūds ahead of the ceremony.
"The close and successful cooperation between Latvia and Canada shows that the NATO allies implement the principle 'One for all and all for one'. Together, we will purposefully continue our work on the transformation of the multinational battle group into a brigade, strengthening NATO's deterrence and defense capabilities and the safety of every citizen of Latvia," Sprūds said.
At the NATO summit in Madrid in June 2022, Latvia and Canada signed a declaration on the strengthening and further development of the battle group of NATO's enhanced presence in Latvia. Two years later it has become a reality.
In July of last year, before the NATO summit in Vilnius, the defense ministers of Latvia and Canada signed a 'roadmap' at the Ādaži military base, outlining what had been achieved so far, as well as determining the next steps in the transformation of the battle group into a brigade.
The road map describes a three-stage approach to increasing the Canadian-led battle group in Latvia to a combat-capable multinational brigade, which includes a preparation and planning stage, a scale-up stage and a so-called 'full readiness' stage.
“Although this is a Canadian-led brigade, we will be privileged to serve alongside thirteen other nations, which will provide unique experiences and exceptional capabilities. Latvian state institutions and key stakeholders supported and facilitated every step of our preparation: we would not be in this great position without their support. I am very privileged and proud to be part of the first team that will form the foundation for many years to come. Each of the countries that contribute has a direct impact on the success of the creation of the brigade, but it is not the success of only one country, it is the success of a strong alliance that protects peace in our world," said Colonel Cédric Aspirault, commander of the NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia.
It is planned that the brigade will reach full combat readiness by 2026.
The current battle group of NATO's extended presence in Latvia is led by Canada, bringing together around 1,900 soldiers from Albania, the Czech Republic, Italy, Iceland, Canada, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and North Macedonia, who are on duty in Latvia on a rotating basis. Denmark and Sweden will also be members of the new NATO multinational brigade in Latvia.
