RIGA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- A combat-ready North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) brigade was officially established during a change of command authority ceremony at the Adazi military base near Riga on Thursday, according to the Latvian Defense Ministry.
The command authority of NATO's enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group in Latvia was transferred from the Latvian Mechanized Infantry Brigade to the newly formed NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia.
The move to upgrade the battle group to brigade-level was outlined in a declaration signed by Latvia and Canada during the NATO summit in Madrid in June 2022. The transformation process began in July 2024, following a roadmap agreed upon by Latvian and Canadian defense ministers. The full brigade build-up, expected to exceed 3,500 troops, is scheduled for completion by 2025. ■
