The Swedish reduced battalion arrives by ship on the Latvian coast early on Saturday morning. It is the first time that Sweden contributes a military unit to NATO’s standing forces.
– It means a lot. Militarily, the Swedes are really good and professional, says Major General Jette Albinus, who commands the part of the force that Sweden is part of.
Overshipping to Latvia has been secretive and intensive due to the threat picture. It has been fast and the battalion has been monitored by fighter planes and the Navy.
– It’s an awful lot that we sent in a very short time, in just a couple of days because we over the entire battalion, vehicles, personnel and everything a battalion could possibly need to be able to operate in a war environment in the worst case, says Marcus Nilsson, head of communications at Southern Skåne Regiment P7.
It is the employed battalion of the South Skåne Regiment P7 that has been sent.
– We will not sit on our hands, we will train and practice all levels of the battalion. When the soldiers are not out practicing, there are opportunities for physical training inside the camp, says Lieutenant Colonel Henrik Rosdahl.
Unique Swedish effort
For the Swedish army, a similar stationing has never happened before. The last time the Swedish Armed Forces operated in Europe was in Kosovo. Since then, Swedish soldiers have operated on a larger scale in operations in non-European areas such as Mali and Afghanistan.
– In those operations our mission has been to create peace, in this operation we go to a country in peace and must prevent war. We are there to deter, says Marcus Nilsson.
For Sweden, the effort in Latvia is a clear illustration of the fact that Sweden’s borders are now being defended abroad, for example in Finland or the Baltic countries.
– It is a historic day for Sweden as a country, but for Latvia and NATO it is not. We are the 14th country to join this multinational brigade in Latvia that has existed since 2004, says Marcus Nilsson.
The operation in Latvia takes place at the Ādaži base and is part of NATO’s concept “Forward Land Forces”, FLF, which is present in every frontline state with a border with Russia. The aim is to deter Russia from challenging NATO’s territorial integrity.