REZEKNE, Latvia - For the first time ever, NATO’s entire Canadian-led military brigade stationed in Latvia is deploying east this week, near the border of both Russia and Belarus. Tanks, infantry, medics and engineers are pushing east from their base in Adazi, Latvia to take part in a multi-day exercise that will include building out defensive positions along NATO’s eastern front. Latvia is home to Canada’s largest oversees military deployment. Since 2017. Canada has been leading NATO’s multinational brigade in the country under Operation REASSURANCE. The base in Adazi is home to roughly 3,000 soldiers from 14 NATO nations, out of which approximately 2,000 are members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Nearly all of them are taking part in this week’s mass mobilization of troops east. CTV News is embedded with members of the Canadian Armed Forces in Latvia, getting an exclusive look at the largest NATO operation ever conducted in the country. Canadian Armed Forces Lt.-Col. Simon Mailloux, who is the commander of the multinational battle group, leading infantry troops through the operation, shares that Canada’s military posture in the east has changed. “Back when we began leading NATO presence in Latvia in 2017, we were in a reassurance posture that evolved to a deterrence posture and now we’re in a ready-to-defend posture,” says Lt.-Col. Mailloux. Concerns of Russian aggression in this region have only increased following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin has been accused of carrying out “hybrid warfare” across the region, from drone incursions to cyber attacks. Over the last week, the sounds of artillery, tanks and infantry soldiers calling out commands have echoed across a training field in Adazi. The Canadian-led brigade has been performing a combat readiness evaluation ahead of their current deployment to eastern Latvia. Lt.-Col. Mailloux says his battle group is ready for whatever they may encounter. “We’re conducting the exercise to ensure the battle group is ready to fight. We want to see if our drills and tactics are updated to the day. We see what’s happening in Ukraine, things are evolving. We want to be on the edge, we want to be ready if it comes to that.” Both Russia and Belarus line Latvia’s eastern border, along with Estonia and Lithuania, Latvia makes up NATO’s eastern flank. In July, at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkiye, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced “the extension of Operation REASSURANCE in Latvia,” as he shared Canada’s plans to shoulder more responsibility in the region in the face of “the threats that we face” from Russia. Russia has also been conducting similar military readiness exercises across the border. Members of the Canadian-led NATO brigade hope their presence and preparedness in this region serve as a strong deterrent and that peace prevails in Latvia.
