Sweden will deploy military forces to Latvia to participate in NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence, Forward Land Forces.
In preparation, Stockholm has ordered the Swedish Armed Forces to draft a plan for next year’s deployment.
“As a NATO member, Sweden is part of NATO’s collective defense and will contribute broadly to its activities and defense of the entire alliance,” Swedish Defence Minsiter Pal Jonson said. The Scandinavian country officially joined NATO in March.
The armed forces will negotiate and secure the necessary international agreements to deploy a force equal to the size of a reduced battalion to the FLF. The Swedish troops will be in Latvia for six months.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told reporters on Thursday that the aim is to contribute a force that includes CV 90s armored vehicles and Leopard 2 main battle tanks.
NATO has increased its military presence in the eastern flank since Russia invaded Ukraine. The military alliance’s forward presence comprises eight combat-capable battlegroups that operate alongside the host nation’s defense forces.
The FLF in Latvia is led by Canada and already includes troops from Albania, Czechia, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.