Canada-led brigade in Latvia moves beyond tripwire role, commander says

RIGA, Latvia — The Canada-led NATO brigade in Latvia has moved beyond its original “tripwire” deterrence posture and is now focused on mounting a credible defense of the Baltic country bordering Russia, according to its commander, Col. Kris Reeves.Reeves said the shift towards what he described as “tactical credibility” has meant establishing forward locations and stationing troops near Latvia’s eastern border, in the terrain where they would actually fight in the event of a conflict, the Canadian commander told Defense News.“Right now I have a brigade, there is nothing on the other side of the border that can take out this brigade,” Reeves said in an interview at the Sēlija training range in central Latvia this week. “And when there’s something that can take out this brigade, NATO’s going to put more forces here, I’m confident in that.”Canada has about 2,000 troops in Latvia, and its contribution to the NATO Multinational Brigade there represents its largest overseas deployment. Alliance doctrine on the eastern flank defended by Canadian troops has shifted following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and while the tripwire logic still exists, it’s now backed militarily by forces expected to actively hold ground rather than just trigger a response and await reinforcements.NATO agreed in 2016 to establish multinational battlegroups in the Baltic countries and Poland as part of what it called enhanced forward presence, with Canada the framework nation for Latvia. After the invasion of Ukraine, Canada in June 2022 agreed to scale up the battlegroup to a brigade.From a single garrison in a training area, the Canadian forces are now based in four different areas, with forward locations along the eastern flank providing familiarity with the terrain and improved readiness, according to Reeves.“And even more important than that, the local population out there is now beginning to trust us and understand us, because they’re going to support us when we fight,” Reeves said. “We are,