Blair lauds Swedish troops joining Canadian-led NATO brigade in Latvia

Canada's defence minister lauded the integration of hundreds of Swedish troops into the Canadian-led multinational NATO brigade in Latvia, describing the event as a landmark.

A ship carrying parts of a mechanized Swedish infantry battalion arrived in the Baltic country in mid-January, but the formal integration has taken a couple of weeks.

"Sweden's participation marks an important milestone, being their first major NATO deployment less than a year after joining the alliance," said Defence Minister Bill Blair.

"Their contributions will add significant strength to our mission, further enhancing its effectiveness and cohesion. Sweden's commitment in Latvia strengthens our collective resolve to bolster the defence and deterrence of the region and NATO's overall security posture."

The Swedish armed forces, in a previous statement, said the mission involves 550 troops and "marks Sweden's largest commitment yet since joining NATO."

The multinational brigade is composed of up to 3,500 soldiers from 14 NATO countries — including roughly 1,500 Canadian Armed Forces members.

In 2023, the Liberal government committed $2.6 billion in funding over three years to increase the size of the Canadian commitment in Latvia.

NATO stationed combat brigades along the border with Russia following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Prior to that, the alliance had stationed a handful of smaller battle groups in the Baltic countries, including one in Latvia that was led by Canadians.

"The security challenges we face are global in nature, which is why we continue to work closely with our allies, combining our strengths, sharing our expertise and fostering a spirit of collaboration," Blair said in a statement on Friday. "Each contributing nation brings a wealth of experience that is invaluable to NATO's deterrence and defence mandate."

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson attended a ceremony in Latvia on Friday to formally inaugurate the deployment.

"Swedish soldiers are now an important part of NATO's deterrence and defence," said Kristersson.

The allied troops are stationed at the Ādaži military base near the capital of Riga. Canada has slowly scaled up its deployment in the country because, among other things, there was limited room at the base, which was built during the Soviet occupation.