The MoD noted that Latvia's air defense capabilities have been strengthened since the incident. Air Force mobile battle groups armed with surveillance radars and short-range air defense missiles have been dispatched to the Latgale region.
"This is a continuous operation, involving both professional and national defence service soldiers. At the same time, various other solutions are being developed to neutralize drones both kinetically and non-kinetically, i.e. with electromagnetic and other capabilities," the MoD said.
The procedures for NATO's air patrol mission in the Baltic States have also been clarified, allowing German fighters to destroy aggressor drones entering Latvian airspace if necessary. The need to introduce a rotational model for air defense has also been updated.
Improvements have also been made to the information exchange algorithms of the NBS as well as Latvian inter-institutional cooperation, shortening the decision-making chain for responding to similar incidents already in peacetime.
In order to speed up public notification in threat situations, a mechanism for information exchange between the NBS, internal affairs operational services and the public has been developed. "In case of a threat, the mass media will be promptly informed and the information will be published on the official accounts of the Ministry of Defense and the Latvian Army. The population will be informed via the 112 mobile application, while in the event of a threat, the heads of local governments will be informed by regional units of the National Guard, including about situations when the support of local government heads will be needed to inform the local population in specific areas. The use of the mobile application to notify the population is only a temporary solution until the Early Warning Cell Broadcasting System is operational in Latvia," the MoD said.
Defense Minister Andris Sprūds (Progressives) pointed out that at the same time Latvia needs to get more support from its allies. The strengthening of the airspace of NATO's eastern flank countries is to be discussed next week at a meeting of the Alliance's defense ministers in Brussels.
