Latest news with #OperationReassurance
CTV News
14 hours ago
- CTV News
Armed forces contingent leaves Edmonton for ongoing NATO mission in Latvia
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces board a plane for Latvia on June 15, 2025, at the Edmonton International Airport. Several members of the Canadian Armed Forces left Edmonton on Sunday for Latvia to join its major ongoing mission in Europe. The soldiers will be used in Operation Reassurance, the armed forces' largest overseas mission, for which it supports North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defensive measures in central and eastern Europe. Under the NATO operation, the Canadian Armed Forces have deployed a task forces for maritime, air and land efforts. In Latvia, located in Europe's Baltic region, Canadian forces expect to have a full complement of up to 2,200 personnel by 2026. There are currently 1,900 Canadian armed forces members there. NATO's presence in Latvia began in 2017 with a Canadian-led contingent.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Fresh group of Edmonton soldiers depart for Latvia
Roughly 100 Edmonton soldiers departed for Europe Sunday to join the Multinational Brigade Latvia's Operation Reassurance where they'll stay for the next six months as part of the biggest reinforcement of NATO's collective defence in a generation. 'We're just super excited to finally get boots on the ground because we have been looking forward to this for such a long time, and we've worked so hard to train,' said Capt. Emily Stregger as the group prepared to fly out. NATO forces have been in the region since 2017 with the establishment of the Canadian-led combat-ready battlegroup that is hosted by the Latvian Mechanized Infantry Brigade and comprised of 14 contributing nations. Maj. Tim McHugh of the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) said the group will be doing regular training while deployed, which takes on a different tone given their proximity to Russia. 'It makes it a little more real than going to the training area in Wainwright,' McHugh said. 'I think just having them on the vehicles on a regular basis, having access to the training area, and knowing that there is the potential for a threat that exists in that area does increase the level of training, and it makes everybody a little bit more excited.' The group will be working with a variety of armoured vehicles, including the armoured engineer vehicle, which Stregger said is a variant of a Leopard II tank that has a bulldozer blade and excavator arm. 'It's one of its own over there. So it'll be a very unique experience,' said Stregger. Of the roughly 100 soldiers headed to Latvia, McHugh guessed that maybe only 20 had been deployed previously, making it an entirely new experience for the rest. With so many being deployed for the first time, McHugh said part of his job will be keeping the soldiers grounded. 'We're going over there to do our job, to focus on the job first. There's going to be bonuses, you know, being over there, getting to see another country and interact with other nations, but focus on our core mandate and our core task, which is fighting tanks, and being better at that, and integrating into our battle group and being a confident fighting force,' said McHugh. With the ongoing war in Ukraine and recent fighting between Iran and Israel having ramped up, military activity has been on the rise across the Atlantic. But McHugh said it doesn't change the mentality of the group heading into its deployment. Last deployed in Latvia himself in 2020, McHugh said the main difference for him is a growing Canadian presence. 'The thing that has changed is now we have tanks there. The battle group and the brigade is growing. There's a lot bigger Canadian presence there, and that's probably the thing that's changed the most. But outside of that, the mentality that we're going there with is very similar to the one we went with in 2020,' said McHugh. Stregger said she heard that she would be headed to Latvia about one year ago, prompting 'high tempo' training and excitement within the group. Now, as she finally makes her way over, she said she is feeling privileged. 'This is what I signed up to do. So to actually get the opportunity to deploy as a troop commander is a huge privilege,' said Stregger. zdelaney@ British departure means uncertain future for Alberta's massive Suffield military base Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
Calgary Herald
17 hours ago
- Automotive
- Calgary Herald
Fresh group of Edmonton soldiers depart for Latvia
Roughly 100 Edmonton soldiers departed for Europe Sunday to join the Multinational Brigade Latvia's Operation Reassurance where they'll stay for the next six months as part of the biggest reinforcement of NATO's collective defence in a generation. Article content 'We're just super excited to finally get boots on the ground because we have been looking forward to this for such a long time, and we've worked so hard to train,' said Capt. Emily Stregger as the group prepared to fly out. Article content Article content Article content NATO forces have been in the region since 2017 with the establishment of the Canadian-led combat-ready battlegroup that is hosted by the Latvian Mechanized Infantry Brigade and comprised of 14 contributing nations. Maj. Tim McHugh of the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) said the group will be doing regular training while deployed, which takes on a different tone given their proximity to Russia. Article content Article content 'I think just having them on the vehicles on a regular basis, having access to the training area, and knowing that there is the potential for a threat that exists in that area does increase the level of training, and it makes everybody a little bit more excited.' Article content The group will be working with a variety of armoured vehicles, including the armoured engineer vehicle, which Stregger said is a variant of a Leopard II tank that has a bulldozer blade and excavator arm. Article content Article content Article content 'It's one of its own over there. So it'll be a very unique experience,' said Stregger. Article content Of the roughly 100 soldiers headed to Latvia, McHugh guessed that maybe only 20 had been deployed previously, making it an entirely new experience for the rest. With so many being deployed for the first time, McHugh said part of his job will be keeping the soldiers grounded. Article content 'We're going over there to do our job, to focus on the job first. There's going to be bonuses, you know, being over there, getting to see another country and interact with other nations, but focus on our core mandate and our core task, which is fighting tanks, and being better at that, and integrating into our battle group and being a confident fighting force,' said McHugh. Article content With the ongoing war in Ukraine and recent fighting between Iran and Israel having ramped up, military activity has been on the rise across the Atlantic. But McHugh said it doesn't change the mentality of the group heading into its deployment. Last deployed in Latvia himself in 2020, McHugh said the main difference for him is a growing Canadian presence.
Edmonton Journal
18 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Fresh group of Edmonton soldiers depart for Latvia
Article content Roughly 100 Edmonton soldiers departed for Europe Sunday to join the Multinational Brigade Latvia's Operation Reassurance where they'll stay for the next six months as part of the biggest reinforcement of NATO's collective defence in a generation. 'We're just super excited to finally get boots on the ground because we have been looking forward to this for such a long time, and we've worked so hard to train,' said Capt. Emily Stregger as the group prepared to fly out.
