Latvian soldiers and troops from NATO nations practised with short-range air defence systems on Latvia’s coast as part of international military exercises in the Baltic Sea region.
Around 300 soldiers from Latvian, Lithuanian, Czech and the United States air defence units are training to improve their skills at shooting down airborne targets. Latvian defence officials attending the exercises said the country was getting support from NATO allies to develop its own air defences at short and medium range.
According to a Latvian defence ministry press release, Latvia’s defence minister will push for NATO’s multinational Enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup to be expanded at the alliance’s upcoming summit in Madrid from June 28th to June 30th.
Latvia and its Baltic neighbours Estonia and Lithuania have said NATO should step up its defences in the region in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.