OTTAWA --
The Canadian commander of a multinational battlegroup in Latvia says he's working to make sure his troops have sufficient provides and might speak to one another, as mounting tensions between the NATO army alliance and Russia feed fears of a brand new conflict in Europe.
Canada has greater than 500 troopers in Latvia as a part of a broader NATO reassurance mission first launched in 2017 in response to considerations about Russian aggression throughout japanese Europe.
The Canadian contingent consists of about 350 troops primarily from Valcartier, Que., who kind the core of a 1,000-strong NATO battlegroup stationed in Camp Adazi, about 30 kilometres northeast of the Latvian capital of Riga.
That battlegroup additionally consists of army personnel and gear from 9 alliance nations, together with Poland, Spain, Italy and the Czech Republic, all of whom fall below the command of Lt.-Col. Dan Richel.
In an interview with The Canadian Press on Thursday, Richel stated considered one of his predominant obligations since taking command final month has been to verify the completely different contingents are capable of rapidly and precisely talk with one another within the discipline.
"English is a second language for just about all people within the battlegroup proper now," he stated. "They're all NATO international locations, clearly, so their techniques are usually the identical. We simply want to verify all people has the identical understanding of all of the terminology."
Clear communication could be important within the occasion of a Russian invasion, towards which the battlegroup is particularly designed to defend. Additionally necessary: ensuring the NATO pressure has gas, ammunition and different provides to struggle.
The battlegroup is designed for typical warfare, which means battle with an identical military similar to Russia's. Whereas Canada's contribution is principally infantry with armoured autos, different companions have supplied tanks, artillery and different gear.
"All of us include very completely different gear, completely different gear that takes completely different ammunition and that requires completely different help," Richel stated. "It is a problem that I feel we're coping with pretty nicely."
The Canadian commander stated the battlegroup's major focus is to coach and put together for a potential assault -- as has been the case since its inception 5 years in the past.
"The battlegroup itself is already a high-readiness fight unit," stated Richel. "I'd recommend that what you see right here at present may be very a lot what you'd have seen on the opposite rotations as nicely."
Along with these devoted to the battlegroup, Canada additionally has about 200 help personnel in addition to a headquarters workers in Riga answerable for big-picture planning and co-ordination of NATO efforts in Latvia.
Related battlegroups led by Britain, Germany and the US have been established in Estonia, Lithuania and Poland, respectively. The Liberal authorities has stated Canada will lead the mission in Latvia till not less than March 2023.
Designed to defend towards a Russian invasion, the battlegroups' small measurement means they'd nearly definitely be overwhelmed in an actual conflict. As a substitute, their predominant objective is to discourage towards Russian aggression, with the concept an assault on one would attract all of NATO.
The Russian authorities in current weeks has demanded the alliance withdraw all its forces from the area, together with these within the Baltics and Poland, after mobilizing about 100,000 troops on Russia's border with Ukraine.
Canada, the U.S. and different NATO members have rejected the demand, resulting in rising considerations about armed battle between the 2 sides that would begin in Ukraine and develop to the remainder of japanese Europe.
Requested on Wednesday whether or not the federal government would repatriate Canadian troops from Latvia and Ukraine if Russia attacked, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau underscored Canada's dedication to NATO's Baltic members.
"We're in Latvia to defend the Baltic states -- Latvia, Lithuania and japanese European states -- from any incursions by Russian forces," he stated in French throughout a COVID-19 briefing in Ottawa. "We are going to proceed the necessary work that NATO is doing to guard its japanese entrance."
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Jan. 20, 2022.
Canadian troopers attend the NATO army workouts ''Namejs 2021'' at a coaching floor in Kadaga, Latvia, on Monday, Sept. 13, 2021. NATO responded to Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula by bolstering its forces close to Russia and conducting drills on the territory of its Baltic members _ the maneuvers the Kremlin described as a safety menace. (AP Picture/Roman Koksarov, File)
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