At the vast, forested Adaj military base northeast of Riga, Latvia, Capt. Harrison Burrows joins more than 3,000 soldiers who have been participating in a Canadian-led NATO military exercise for the past two weeks simulating an attack on the Baltic Sea. One of them. A country that has come across a border with Russia that is about 300 kilometers long.
This is the first exercise to be held in Latvia since Latvia’s military was expanded into a multinational brigade, also led by Canada, consisting of troops and equipment from more than 13 countries.
“I would say at least 50 percent of what you see here today was actually not here at the beginning of this summer,” Burrows said Wednesday at the base, where combat vehicles, weapons and radar systems are located. He told CBC News during a press tour. was on display.
During his past six-month deployment, Burrows, who is normally based at CFB Valcartier, has seen how different military units and equipment are being integrated as part of efforts to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank. I saw with my own eyes what a large force they would become.
Asked about the U.S. presidential election, Burrows acknowledged that there had been discussions within the unit about what would change after President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.
“There have been some low-level discussions, but at the end of the day, our mission is NATO,” Burrows said.
The election of President Donald Trump on November 5 may cause friction in the 32-member alliance, considering the following reasons: his past warnings The United States will leave NATO countries to their own defense unless they spend more on defense.
Canadian troops and other NATO forces are training to take back territory from enemy forces during Exercise Resolute Warrior near Riga, Latvia. The Canadian-led exercise involved 13 NATO countries and more than 3,500 soldiers, 2,200 of whom were Canadian.
Pressure expected from President Trump
On the campaign trail in February, President Trump even said he would encourage Russia to do “whatever it wants” to allies that don’t pay.
At the time, the White House called out these comments. “Horrifying and distraught.” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who previously served as prime minister of the Netherlands and frequently met with Trump during his first term as president, describes Trump as someone who seeks to revitalize discussions on defense spending.
“He’s definitely going to push.” [NATO countries] Once again, it’s natural to do more and take on more burdens,” Rutte said in an interview with CBC News while attending the final day of military exercises at Camp Adazi.
“The United States accounts for about 50 percent of NATO’s economy, but currently spends more than 50 percent of defense spending.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who was in Latvia this week for NATO exercises, said U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term had “really energized” the debate on defense spending, and Rutte said he expected Trump to take office again. He said he looks forward to hearing more about the content when the meeting is finalized.
In 2023, the United States $900 billion for defense spendingaccounting for more than 65 percent of NATO’s total military spending.
Meanwhile, NATO allies are expected to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic product. [GDP] Regarding defense, A quarter of members do not Including Canada, the following expenditures are expected: This year it is 1.4%.
Rutte said all NATO members must spend 2% “significantly more” on defence, but as evidence of Canada’s commitment to supporting the alliance’s security priorities, the multinational brigade Canada’s leadership in
Canada will deploy until 2026
Canada’s deployment to Latvia began in 2017 When there are hundreds of soldiers They were stationed there as part of a combat group.
In 2023, Anada committed $2. 6 billion The expansion will continue until 2026.
General Jenny Carignan, Canada’s Chief of Defense Staff He told CBC News he expects Canada’s largest international expansion to continue beyond that.
”“Given what’s going on with Russia’s actions and threats, we expect Canada to be here for a long time.”
Most of the Canadian troops deployed to Latvia are on a six-month rotation, and Sweden, which joined the NATO alliance in March 2024, will deploy in January as part of its first deployment as a new NATO member. For the first time, 600 troops will be sent to the country.
Latvia, which was part of the Soviet Union until 1991 and has a large Russian population, fears the Kremlin will try to seize some of its territory.
Speaking from Latvia, where Canadian forces were participating in NATO exercises, Chief of the Defense Staff Jenny Carignan said questions about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump were in the “high-level policy realm,” but the relationship between the two militaries remains unclear. He emphasized that it is stable and “will not change.”
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevičis expressed his gratitude for Canada’s efforts and said he looked forward to further investments, especially in the area of air defense.
Canada said two additional air defense systems will be installed in Latvia in 2026 and 2027.
“We all know what we need,” Rinkeviches said, adding that NATO countries will expand military production and spend more than 6% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense by 2025. He added that we can learn from the planned Russia.
“We still live in a kind of hopeland. Unfortunately, we have to face reality.”
Canada is leading the ramp-up of a multinational NATO training mission in Latvia, which shares a 300-kilometre border with Russia, at a time of uncertainty for the military alliance. Canada’s top soldier says the mission could continue beyond 2026.
