Sweden to Send Troops to Latvia as NATO Member

On Thursday, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that Sweden has finalized its integration into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and will send a reduced battalion to Latvia early next year.

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A declaration would be signed Thursday afternoon to finalize Sweden's military integration into NATO, Kristersson said at a joint press conference with Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina.

He said his government had decided to task the Swedish defense forces with preparing for Sweden's contribution of a reduced battalion to the NATO brigade in Latvia.

Sweden will contribute to the Canadian-led brigade 400 to 500 staff as well as CV 90, a tracked armored combat vehicle, and Leopard tanks, Kristersson said, adding that the goal is for the battalion to be operational at the beginning of next year.

Kristersson also mentioned that the participation of Swedish soldiers in NATO's defense projects in Latvia will allow his country to better train its troops.

"The mission in Latvia is part of NATO’s so-called Forward Land Forces (FLF), which were established in the three Baltic states and Poland in 2017," Euroactiv reported, recalling that NATO has also decided to establish FLFs in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.

Following two centuries of military non-alignment, Sweden and Finland decided to apply for NATO membership in the wake of the Russian special operation in Ukraine in early 2022.