(Madrid) Canada on Wednesday signed an agreement to transform the NATO battlegroup it leads in Latvia into a brigade, a unit with more soldiers, although the government says it is too early to say whether this will result in the deployment of additional Canadian troops.
Posted at 11:16 a.m.
Updated at 2:23 p.m.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau oversaw a small ceremony where Defense Minister Anita Anand and her Latvian counterpart signed the accord, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Spain, where Russia’s war in Ukraine has been in the foreground.
Trudeau said the deal sets out the next steps for this Canadian-led battlegroup in Latvia, “given Russia’s more aggressive stance.”
“This is a commitment that the Canadian government is making with Latvia to work with our allies to evolve into a brigade-level battalion and a brigade-level force in Latvia,” Mr.me Anand.
The Canadian-led NATO battlegroup in Latvia comprises approximately 2,000 troops, including 700 Canadians, and is one of eight alliance combat units in Eastern Europe designed to deter and defend against any Russian invasion.
The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg, confirmed on Monday that the alliance’s eight “battlegroups” in the Baltic countries would be upgraded to “brigades”, which involves doubling the number of soldiers, to between 3000 and 5000.
Germany and Britain have both said in recent weeks that they are ready to boost their respective combat unity in Lithuania and Estonia. We then wondered if Canada would follow suit.
How many soldiers?
Yet, even as M.me Anand and Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks praised the deal, they also described it as a first step in what will be a longer process to determine exactly which countries will provide new soldiers and equipment.
The new brigade will not only require more soldiers, said Mme Anand, but also additional equipment and capabilities, such as anti-tank weapons, air defenses as well as improved command and control units, and ammunition.
Minister Anand left the door open for Canada to provide some of these additional forces, but said the finer details of building the new unit will depend on discussions with various NATO members about their ability to participate. . This even includes the final size of the unit, which neither Mme Neither Anand nor Mr. Pabriks could accurately describe Wednesday.
The inventory exercise has already begun, said Mr.me Anand, who noted that the Canadian-led battle group already included soldiers from 10 other alliance nations, making it the most diverse unit in the region.
“We must first make sure that we hear from all member countries and that we understand what their respective capabilities are, including our own, and then make decisions on how we are going to increase the number of troops,” he said. she declared.
The Latvian battle group includes an artillery unit of about 100 Canadian soldiers recently added in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Canada has also promised to lend several senior officers.
The battlegroup joins several warships currently deployed to two NATO Task Forces in Europe, as well as transport and surveillance aircraft.
Paradigm shift
NATO has been stepping up its presence there since first hints of a possible invasion in January, effectively using force to deter Russia from fighting with an allied nation.
If Russia were to enter NATO territory, it would trigger an all-out international war between dozens of countries, because an attack on one member country is considered an attack on all 30. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented meanwhile Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO as one of the justifications for the invasion.
Mr Stoltenberg said that the leaders of the member countries had approved a new strategic concept which will guide NATO for the next decade – a paradigm which identifies Russia as a serious threat to the Atlantic Alliance.
The document adds that NATO members “cannot rule out the possibility of an attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of allied countries”.
NATO leaders also officially invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance and promised a new assistance program for Ukraine, including secure communications, body armor and anti-drone weapons. .
Russia has launched new attacks on civilians in the country – most recently with a missile strike on a shopping center in Kremenchuk, central Ukraine, on Monday that killed at least 18 people.
Spending and GDP: Canada singled out
Meanwhile, Canada found itself in the spotlight on Wednesday as the NATO Secretary General said he expected Canada to honor its commitment to other members and increase its military spending to meet the needs of an increasingly dangerous world.
Stoltenberg made the comments at a press conference after the first of several meetings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other leaders of the transatlantic military alliance, which has 30 member nations.
Among the many decisions that, according to Mr. Stoltenberg, have already been taken by the leaders, there was talk of a recommitment for all members to devote at least 2% of their national gross domestic product to defence, a target agreed for the first times in 2014. “Two% is increasingly seen as the floor, not the ceiling”, underlined the Secretary General.
Yet while the vast majority of allies already meet the threshold or have set out specific plans to reach it by 2024, Mr Stoltenberg recalled that a handful of them have made “concrete commitments” without a timetable. accurate.
Canada is almost certainly in the latter group, as the Liberal government has refused to publicly commit to reaching the 2% target – let alone set a timetable for reaching it. In fact, a report released Monday by Mr. Stoltenberg projects that Canada’s defense spending will fall as a percentage of GDP to 1.27% this year, down from 1.32% last year and 1. 42% in 2020.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated that it would cost $75 billion over five years to meet the NATO target.
Asked specifically about Canada’s military spending, Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday that he understands governments’ desire to spend taxpayer dollars on health care and education. But he said NATO members needed to invest in defense as the world becomes increasingly dangerous.
“I expect all allies to adhere to the guidelines we have set,” he said. So, of course, this is a message to all allies, including Canada. »
Mr. Stoltenberg nonetheless praised Canada for taking over the 2,000-soldier battle group in Latvia, one of eight that NATO leaders agreed to reinforce in Eastern Europe in response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
He also said leaders had formally agreed to double the size of these battlegroups, adding more troops and capabilities, while increasing the number of troops placed at “high readiness” from 40,000 to 300,000. .
Four new embassies
Asked by reporters about Canada’s military spending, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Canadians can be proud of the country’s work in NATO and in the Ukraine conflict in general.
Canada has played a “leadership role” in training more than 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers as part of its “Operation Unifier” mission and in supplying heavy weapons to the country, she said. “We are leaving a very significant presence, a military presence, in Latvia,” she added.
Minister Joly also underlined the role of diplomacy in the response to Russia’s aggression. She announced that Canada will open four new embassies – in Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Armenia – in addition to strengthening its presence in Latvia.
Mme Joly explained that Canada must fend off Russian influence, including its “soft power”, disinformation campaigns and brute force. “We believe that diplomacy remains one of the most effective means to support security and stability, and also to respond to challenges in a world undergoing profound geopolitical change,” said Mr.me Pretty.