Stag Special

Defence Minister Anita Anand welcomed Latvia’s Minister of Defence Ināra Mūrniece to Ottawa.
During the May 10 visit, Anand reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to Latvia’s security.
Approximately 800 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members are currently deployed to Latvia, where Canada has served as Framework Nation of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Latvia since 2017.
Anand and Mūrniece announced Canada and Latvia will jointly train Ukrainian combat leaders on Latvian soil, beginning as early as May 15 of this year.
Jointly developed by the CAF and the Latvian National Armed Forces, this program will see CAF and Latvian National Armed Forces members delivering much-needed Junior Officer leadership development training for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) through Op UNIFIER.
“Latvia and Canada are close NATO Allies, united through our strong defence relationship and mutual commitment to supporting Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable war, said Anand.
“The expansion of our training for Ukrainian military officers will contribute to Ukraine’s battlefield success, and provide yet another opportunity for Canadian and Latvian troops to work together. I thank Minister Mūrniece for her strong cooperation, and I thank the people of Latvia for their ongoing hospitality to members of the Canadian Armed Forces.”
This training comes in addition to the CAFs’ other ongoing deployments through Op UNIFIER in support of Ukraine:
Approximately 80 CAF members are deployed to Poland under Op UNIFIER. This mission includes:
• Approximately 45 CAF combat engineers training sappers on a range of basic and advanced engineering skills, engineering reconnaissance, the use of explosives for demolition work, and demining;
• Approximately 25 CAF members training AFU tank crews on the use of Leopard 2 main battle tanks;
• Approximately 10 CAF members and training members of the AFU with the skills needed to save lives in combat situations; and
• Approximately 170 CAF members are deployed to the United Kingdom under Op UNIFIER, where they are training members of the AFU on individual skills required for frontline combat, including weapons handling, battlefield first aid, fieldcraft, patrol tactics and the Law of Armed Conflict.
Anand and Mūrniece also reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the Canada-Latvia Joint Declaration signed in June 2022 at the Madrid Summit. In this joint declaration, Canada agreed to:
• continue to lead NATO forces as the Framework Nation in Latvia;
• work with Latvia and NATO Allies to generate and stage forces in order to surge to a combat capable brigade;
• establish and lead elements of a forward brigade command and control;
• and be prepared to provide critical capabilities to operations, such as ammunition and explosives, air defence systems, and anti-tank weapons systems.
Planning continues between Canada, Latvia, and other eFP Battle Group contributing nations in order to surge the battle group to a combat capable brigade.
Canada and Latvia share a long history of military cooperation and partnership. The two defence ministers discussed issues of mutual interest in the lead-up to this summer’s NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, and reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence posture and the security of the Euro-Atlantic area.
The previous day, the two defence ministers visited 2CBMG at 4 Div’s Garrison Petawawa, where they met with Canadian soldiers and participated in a tour of military vehicles and specialized equipment.

Quick Facts

• Canada is committed to strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence posture in Eastern Europe. Approximately 1,100 CAF members are currently deployed as part of Op REASSURANCE, Canada’s current largest international military operation.
• As the Framework Nation for NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence in Latvia, Canada leads an eleven-nation multinational battle group and coordinates with Latvia and the contributing nations to help set the tone, pace, and vision for this Battle Group.
• The Canadian component of the enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group comprises a mechanized infantry company, an artillery battery, a combat support company, and a combat service support company.
• The CAF is currently supporting four training ongoing missions under Op UNIFIER, providing both basic and advanced military skills to the Security Forces of Ukraine, enabling them to apply those teachings on the front lines.
These training missions include basic recruit training in the United Kingdom, as well as more specialized combat engineer, combat medical, and tank crew training occurring in Poland, and will soon begin Leadership training in partnership with Latvia.
Since the start of 2022, Canada has committed more than $8-billion in direct financial, military, humanitarian, and other assistance to Ukraine.