Defence ministers of nations constituting the multinational NATO battle group led by Canada visit Ādaži military base

Today, on 28 September, Ādaži military base hosts Canada-led NATO enhanced forward presence battle group combat readiness event. Event is attended by Latvian Defence Minister Raimonds Bergmanis, Canadian Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan, Albanian Deputy Defence Minister Petro Koçi, Vice Admiral Carlo Massagli, Chief Division Military Policy and Planning, Italian Defence General Staff, Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz, Slovenian Defence Minister Andreja Katič, Admiral Juan Francisco Martínez Núñez, Deputy Defence Minister of Spain, and Lt Gen Leonīds Kalniņš, Chief of the Defence Staff of Latvia.

While visiting Ādaži military base defence ministers of nations constituting the multinational NATO battle group led by Canada will meet with troops, inspect military equipment and infrastructure of Ādaži military base. Defence ministers will also take part in memorial candle lighting ceremony in honour the Latvian soldiers who lost their live during combat missions.

As reported earlier, Certification Exercise (CERTEX) for Canada-led NATO enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) battlegroup Latvia concluded on 28 August. Certification exercise confirmed that the eFP battlegroup Latvia meets NATO’s strategic directives, standards and procedures and multinational interoperability and combat effectiveness.

Canada is the framework country for NATO eFP battle group Latvia and one of its tasks is to ensure that battle group as a whole is properly certified. Planning and implementation of certification exercise was organised by Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre (CMTC) in Wainwright, Alberta, together with defence staff of other contributing nations. CMTC contributed its staff and expertise necessary for certification. Certification exercise designed to confirm combat efficiency included different combat simulations under various scenarios.

Canada-led NATO eFP battle group Latvia is constituted of more than 1 000 troops from Albania, Italy, Canada, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain. Last year, during NATO Warsaw Summit, head of states and governments of NATO member states agreed to create battalion-size multinational battle groups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Purpose of these battle groups and their deployment in the region is to promote NATO’s strategic deterrence and strengthen the security of the Alliance.

Information prepared by:
Media Relations Section
MILITARY PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia
Phone: (+371)6 7335045
E-mail: prese@mod.gov.lv