Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to greater than double the scale of Canada’s contribution to a NATO mission in Latvia, committing $2.6 billion in funding over three years and as much as 2,200 Canadian troops for persistent deployment.
He made the announcement in Riga on Monday at a joint press convention with Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš, alongside Defence Minister Anita Anand.
“That is the way in which ahead in fashionable defence,” he stated. “Nearly a dozen international locations from throughout NATO are co-operating, coaching and dealing alongside one another and studying worthwhile classes from one another that make our collective defence stronger.”
About 800 Canadian Armed Forces members are already a part of the Canada-led battle group within the Baltic nation, making it the nation’s largest abroad mission.
Trudeau, who additionally met with Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs Monday, stated the extra personnel will reinforce and improve Canadian land, maritime and air capabilities and help particular operations in central and jap Europe.
The prime minister additionally promised that Canada would procure and pre-position vital weapon programs and assist with intelligence and cyberactivities.
“Canada and all international locations should be clear that Russia’s unprovoked warfare on an impartial nation, on a free and democratic Ukraine, is a menace to freedom, worldwide regulation, human rights and the entire set of shared democratic values that generations of troopers have fought to defend,” stated Trudeau.
Final month, Anand introduced {that a} Leopard 2 tank squadron with 15 tanks and about 130 personnel would be a part of the mission beginning this fall.
It’s all a part of the NATO army alliance’s efforts to extend its presence close to Russia in response to that nation’s ongoing assault on Ukraine.
The alliance has doubled the variety of battle teams within the area because the warfare started, and has plans to extend the scale and scope of a few of them to be combat-ready brigades.
A joint highway map signed by Anand and her Latvian counterpart units out three phases for scaling up the Latvia battle group to a brigade, and says they purpose to finish the buildup in 2025.
“By 2026, Canada will full the complete implementation of persistently deployed brigade capabilities to Latvia,” the doc says.
NATO leaders, together with Trudeau, are anticipated to gathering in Lithuania’s capital metropolis starting on Tuesday for his or her annual summit.
Trudeau was anticipated to fulfill with among the Canadian Armed Forces members who’re stationed in Latvia later Monday earlier than departing for Vilnius.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
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