NATO's Multinational Brigade in Latvia has conducted ‘Resolute Warrior’ 2024, its first field exercise as a full brigade, in the Vidzeme and Zemgale regions of Latvia.
This exercise demonstrates the brigade's capability to project its forces, maintain command, control and communication, and integrate all its subordinate units, enablers and flanking units in concert with higher command.
The exercise was divided into various phases, with each Battle Group conducting the main effort in one of them. In the first phase, the artillery support played a significant role, which was provided by the Spanish self-propelled artillery battery. Also decisive was the participation of the Spanish engineers, who helped to build defensive positions and obstacles to slow down and channel the enemy towards the kill zones established by the Danish unit, which held a defensive position.
NATO's Multinational Brigade in Latvia includes a multinational Battle Group, to which Spain contributes a significant presence, as well as an entirely Canadian one and, lastly, a Danish one, which will be relieved by a Swedish one.
As a whole, the Brigade currently consists of 13 contributing nations, including Albania, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and finally Spain.
More than 3,500 military personnel from allied nations participated in Resolute Warrior 2024. ‘This is an important exercise where the brigade has to demonstrate its combat capability, focusing on the combination of multinational units,’ says Major General Jette Albinus, commander of NATO's Multinational Division North.
NATO's forward presence
NATO's military presence on the Alliance's Eastern Front is a key element of its strengthened commitment to deterrence and defence, which has been increased in recent years to reflect the new security reality in the Euro-Atlantic area.
NATO's forward presence involves eight multinational battlegroups, contributed by framework nations and other contributing allies on a voluntary, sustainable and rotational basis.
Currently, NATO Allies' troops and personnel train and exercise together in the east of the Alliance. Contributing nations' forces rotate in and out of battle groups; they may be deployed in the operational area or stationed in their home countries with the capacity to deploy rapidly if required.