NATO launches military base in Latvia for new multinational brigade.

Latvian defense authorities have inaugurated new facilities at the Adazi military base, following the establishment of NATO's multinational brigade. This development echoes the bolstering of NATO's eastern flank and its deterrence posture towards Russia, which is feared to be a potential aggressor in the Baltic region, or at least on the eastern flank of the alliance.
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In March 2022, NATO Secretary General, Jens  Stoltenberg,  visited Canadian-LEd multinational battlegroup prepared in response to russian war in Ukraine. Now this battlegroup is becoming a permanent brigade (Picture source: NATO)

The vehicle storage and maintenance facilities funded by Canada, which opened on Wednesday, will house the brigade's tanks and other armored vehicles, providing sheltered areas for essential maintenance. The improvement works also include a new warehouse, tents, a security perimeter, and a concrete road. Investments from Canada and Spain in constructing these facilities amount to over 7 million euros.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by representatives from the Latvian national armed forces, NATO's multinational brigade in Latvia, the headquarters of NATO's multinational division North, and Latvia's national center for military facilities and defense procurement. According to the Latvian government, the ceremony on August 28, 2024, marked the completion of infrastructure projects funded by Canada and Spain, enhancing the facilities at their respective complexes at the Adazi military base. Latvia oversaw the construction to ensure the success of the projects, which began in 2023 and were completed in about a year.

Atis Svinka, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Latvia, stated that the aim is to show the aggressor that our capabilities are increasing daily and that Latvia is becoming safer every day. The brigade is expected to conduct its first large-scale field training exercise in November and demonstrate its integration into NATO's higher command structure. It should be fully combat-ready by 2026.

The NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia is led by Canada as the framework nation and includes forces from Albania, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. Sweden is also expected to join the Brigade.

In March, Latvia celebrated its 20th anniversary of NATO membership. It was invited to join the Alliance in 2002, along with Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Two years later, all these countries became NATO members, marking the largest expansion of the Alliance in history.

Meanwhile, in Lithuania, construction work is underway for the development of a military base at Rukla. The base, funded by Germany and implemented by NATO, is one of two bases in Lithuania intended to house German soldiers.

Harald Gante, commander of the German Army, stated that it is about deterrence and it is about Russia. We must be able to station a German armored brigade here in Lithuania to ensure the freedom of Western nations. The brigade will house about 2,000 soldiers, including combat vehicles, and is expected to become fully operational by 2027.