NATO operation starts in Latvia, Italian troops also participate: this is what it consists of

Latvia kicks off 'Namejs 2024', the annual exercise of the national armed forces and paramilitary forces in cooperation with NATO troops stationed in the Baltic country and the participation of troops from the Joint expeditionary force. The exercise, named after a Latvian chieftain from the 13th century, will end on 8 October. According to the Atlantic Alliance, a total contingent of over 11,000 military and paramilitary forces will take part in the operations. The mission is to strengthen cooperation and interaction between the various defence corps: the positioning of anti-mobility infrastructure near the country's eastern border will be initiated. "Namejs 2024" will involve soldiers from all units of the National Armed Forces, including conscripts, reserve soldiers and soldiers of the allied armed forces. Also involved are Italians operating within the Atlantic Alliance's multinational battle group.

Given what happened with Ukraine, the Baltic countries consider the risk of an attack by Russia plausible. The Baltic States are asking the allies to reach and exceed the threshold of 2 per cent of GDP allocated to defence spending (a target that the Vilnius Summit 2023 defined as a minimum requirement and not a ceiling). In order to improve and strengthen the ability to perform tasks in the event of a national threat, 'Namejs 2024' envisages cooperation with the Civil Defence Operational Management Centre, which includes the State Chancellery, sectoral ministries, their subordinate institutions, national security agencies, various municipalities and commercial entities, providing the necessary support for national defence needs, thus strengthening Latvia's overall national defence system. The exercise is organised in cooperation with NATO's Multinational Division North Command.

Participating in the exercise will be allied soldiers from the United States, Estonia and Lithuania, multinational NATO battle groups as part of the Land Forces Mechanized Infantry Brigade, the Atlantic Alliance Multinational Brigade Headquarters in Latvia, the NATO Force Integration Unit Latvia and the Canadian Armed Forces Task Force Latvia. The exercises will be supported by the Joint Expeditionary Force and representatives from various Atlantic Alliance headquarters.

As part of 'Namejs 2024', the National Armed Forces plan to conduct a three-day mobilisation exercise in September for a limited number of personnel to test and further improve mobilisation mechanisms. The exercise will take place in the area of responsibility of the 3rd National Guard Brigade in Latgalllia.

During the comprehensive national defence exercise 'Namejs 2024', the National Armed Forces, in cooperation with the State Border Guard, will continue to strengthen border security measures. It is planned to start deploying the purchased counter-mobility equipment in kind, mainly to block roads, and to fortify the infrastructure of checkpoints and State Border Guard units.