Until now, the Canada-led NATO-allied Battle Group has been under the command of the Land Forces Mechanised Infantry Brigade, but is now being transferred to the command of the NATO Multinational Brigade.
This means that another combat-capable brigade will be deployed in Latvia, which will also strengthen NATO's defense and deterrence capabilities in the region.
One of the two brigade-sized units is the Latvian Land Forces Mechanized Infantry Brigade, the other is the NATO Multinational Brigade.
The change of command ceremony of the NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia took place on Thursday at the Ādaži military base with speeches by the President of Latvia and high-ranking military leaders, a ceremonial flag handover, and signing of documents.
The multinational brigade will consist of more than 3,000 troops. Most of the units will be permanently stationed at the Ādaži base, but later training and deployment are also planned at the Sēlija training area.
This change of command is an important step in the development of Latvia's security capabilities and demonstrates the strengthening of the defense of the Baltic region. According to Brigadier General Georgs Kerlins, Chief of the Joint Staff of the National Armed Forces, the change of command of the NATO Multinational Battle Group in Latvia is a further step towards increasing the Allied presence in Latvia and other NATO Eastern Flank countries.
"In our case, this is a concrete and measurable next step - that the eFP Battle Group, a battalion-sized unit that was part of our Mechanized Brigade, will move to a newly formed multinational brigade, where there will be other units besides this Battle Group, as its brigade headquarters has reached the necessary level to be able to lead the units. In the coming month, they will conduct joint training with their own units and measure their readiness for a brigade-level mission," Kerlins said.
"We will also provide our troops in the Multinational Brigade, so it's not as if something is completely interrupted here. In terms of combat capability, our brigade - we're downsizing it for a while, but we'll be working hard to continue to build on the projects that we've started so that our brigade will eventually be as muscular as the multinational brigade," Kerlins said.
Colonel Cédric Aspirault, Commander of the NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia, also stressed that this is a very important event, which shows the commitment of Canada and other countries to the protection and defense of Latvia.
"The NATO Multinational Brigade shows at a very small level what how strong the Alliance can be, how we can work together in Latvia, and how we can continue to develop this Alliance and continue to work together.
The challenge for the Brigade is to make sure that every plan we have here is coherent because we have many allies here - Canada, Latvia, and the other countries from the Multinational Brigade. So we want to make sure that everything we do, we do together, not separately, so that we are also stronger," Aspirault said.
President Edgars Rinkēvičs said that this is a historic event for both Latvia and NATO. Latvia is the first country on NATO's eastern flank where not only the establishment of a NATO brigade has been formally announced, but also its leadership has been formally handed over.
"Latvia is perhaps the most notable because we have the most represented NATO member states. In Lithuania it is basically a German brigade, in Estonia it is British-led, in other countries there are other models. But here, I think the good story is that soldiers from many different countries have been working together for seven years.
"The number of troops is increasing, and will soon be around 4,000 - allied troops only, without our forces. What is important is that this model works," said the President of Latvia, adding that this is why there will soon be a major exercise, which will also be attended by many NATO dignitaries, "both political and military officials, to make sure that not only formally this brigade exists, but also that it is able to work together, to perform tasks and defend our country, the region as a whole and NATO as an alliance."
The NATO Multinational Battle Group in Latvia has been led by Canada since 2017 and is Canada's largest military mission abroad. Last year, Canada committed to significantly increase its contribution of personnel and equipment to strengthen NATO's presence in Latvia and lead the Battle Group's transition to a multinational combat-capable brigade in partnership with allies.
The NATO Multinational Brigade is composed of 14 Allied nations, the largest number of nations represented among the Eastern Flank nations.
