NBS will form 7 new battalions of soldiers / Article

Latvia is waiting for the arrival of additional allies. For example, a few days ago, Sweden, which recently joined NATO, announced that it could send its soldiers to Latvia. At the same time, it is planned to expand the own lines.

Kalniņš has already signed the order for the creation of three new battalions.

“The first battalion is a battalion of high-readiness reserve soldiers in the Mechanized Brigade, which will, in principle, operate already in June to ensure that the soldiers retired from the national defense service are included in this reserve battalion,” explained the commander of the NBS, Lieutenant General Kalniņš.

There will be a total of five such battalions of high readiness reserve soldiers. Two more high-tech battalions will be formed – one will be electronic warfare, and the other will be a special support technology battalion.

They will be focused on obtaining information in order to make the right decisions in time.

The technology battalion, which will be created as part of the National Guard, will combine the National Guard’s capabilities in the field of cyber defense.

Asked how important a springboard such a new battalion could be, Kalniņš explained that “until now, the system assumed that we, with reserve soldiers, fill such voids as are necessary to provide the units. On the other hand, we cannot plan any operations if we there is no complete reserve unit. And this is a process that will end with the creation of five battalions in each brigade.”

Each battalion is expected to have approximately 1,000 to 1,400 soldiers, Kalniņš revealed. But the high-tech battalions will have between 300 and 600 soldiers each.

And another important nuance – a high-readiness reserve soldier, unlike a regular reserve soldier, is involved in exercises every year for five years. “And he has additional requirements for quick arrival to fulfill tasks. The law allows us to call up permanent reserve soldiers only once every four years for exercises to refresh their skills,” said Kalniņš.

On the other hand, Defense Minister Andris Spruds (“Progressives”) emphasized: “Latvia is protected. Latvia is strengthening its capabilities both in the conventional military field and unconventionally, so that we are ready for any crises.”

The Ground Forces’ Mechanized Infantry Brigade currently has five battalions, while the four National Guard brigades have five to six battalions each.

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