The Canadian Armed Forces will deploy 15 Leopard 2 battle tanks and 130 of their personnel to Latvia by next year to join a NATO battle group.
National Defense Minister Anita Anand made the announcement Friday from Brussels, Belgium, where she is meeting with her counterparts from other countries involved in efforts to support Ukraine against the Russian invasion.
Canada has led a multinational battle group of ten NATO nations in Latvia since 2017. Discussions are underway to transform this group into a combat-capable brigade.
The 15 armored vehicles, in addition to 35 other support vehicles, will be brought in from New Brunswick and Alberta.
Deployment is due to begin this fall, while the full squad should be on the ground in Latvia by next spring.
According to Mme Anand, his NATO counterparts are keen for Ukraine to join the military alliance at the appropriate time.
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