Gov't: Up to 155 Soldiers to Be Deployed in NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia

Bratislava, January 15 (TASR) - Up to 155 members of the Slovak Armed Forces could serve in the NATO multinational brigade in Latvia this year, according to the proposal for the deployment of members of the Armed Forces, which the government approved at its session on Wednesday. The Defence Ministry stated that at the 2022 Madrid Summit of NATO heads of state and heads of government, the transition from the current NATO battle groups to brigade-sized ground formations was agreed. Therefore, the enhanced forward presence battle group in Latvia, which currently has up to 152 Slovak soldiers, is also being transformed. "The objective of the document submitted, following the transformation to FLF (Forward Land Forces), is to continue to demonstrate the unity of the Alliance together with other allies," said the Defence Ministry. Slovak soldiers could be in Latvia until the FLF deployment is terminated. The sending still needs to be approved by Parliament. am/mcs