Canadian troops leave for Latvia to lead NATO force

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Ont. (AA) – Canadian troops will leave for Latvia Saturday to lead a NATO battle force aimed at restraining any Russian aggression in the Black Sea area.

The Canadian force will number 450 while the total NATO deployment will be up to 1,500 troops, the CTV News reported.

The Canadian troops fulfill Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s pledge to lead a NATO force in Latvia as part of the Enhanced Forward Presence initiative in Eastern Europe.

The mission is designed to have four multinational defensive battle groups in four countries – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

The countries are concerned that Russia will try to shake their governments with cyberattacks and intelligence initiatives, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported.

A specific concern is that Russia will stir up Russian nationals living in those countries in a bid to topple governments, a tactic used in the Kremlin’s invasion of the Crimea.

The Canadians assume command of the NATO Latvia mission at Camp Adazi on June 19.

Germany, the U.K. and the U.S. will lead the other three battle groups.