LATVIAN INSTITUTE FACTSHEET NO 35 AUGUST 11, 2010

Information provided by the Ministry of Defence.

OVERVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL MILITARY EXERCISES IN DURING 2010

INTERNATIONAL MILITARY EXERCISES IN LATVIA – NEW KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE This is a significant year for the defence sector in Latvia – several military exercises for the Baltic States are being held in Latvia and are also attended by NATO and partner countries from the Alliance program of practical bilateral cooperation “”. 16 military exercises are being organized in Latvia in 2010 including three high level international military exercises. Soldiers from the Latvian National Armed Forces (NAF) are participating in 42 military exercises in Latvia and abroad this year. THE AIM OF MILITARY EXERCISES By organizing international military exercises Latvia examines its capability to host allied forces in its territory and improves the professional qualifications of soldiers for international operation in Afghanistan. The main task of NAF and each individual soldier during peace time is to improve their professional skills, therefore the organization of military exercises is so important. The participation of NAF soldiers in international exercises is a significant part of their education which improves the professional skills of soldiers and their ability to cooperate in a multinational environment as well as increases the compatibility of the allied forces. Military exercises in the Baltic States reassure the region about presence of NATO forces. THE PRIORITY : INTERNATIONAL MILITARY EXERCISES In line with budget cuts in the Ministry of Defence, military exercises which improve NAF skills are the main priorities of the ministry. In 2010 Latvia hosts three high level international military exercises – “Baltic Host” (the beginning of June), “BALTOPS” (the beginning of June) and “Saber Strike” (during autumn). Baltic Host 2010 (May 31 – June 4, 2010) The Baltic States military exercise “Baltic Host 2010” took place simultaneously in the capitals of the Baltic States – Rīga, Tallinn and Vilnius. Latvia, , , U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and Naval Striking and Support Force NATO, as well as , , Norway and participated in the “Baltic Host 2010”. The goal of the exercise is to develop action plans by the Baltic States’ defence sectors together with other state institutions for due and adequate simultaneous reception, staging and onward movement of allied and support units over the territory of all the Baltic States. This year the focus was on cooperation between the defence sector and civil institutions during the Host Nation Support (HNS) operations. Latvia was represented by several civil institutions – for example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economics, the Ministry of Transport, State Border Guard and Emergency Medical Assistance Service. BALTOPS (June 6 - 22, 2010) The Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) exercise is an annual international naval exercise which takes place in the and is attended by NATO and partner countries from the program

1 “Partnership for Peace”. Over 3,000 servicemen from different countries took part in the international BALTOPS 2010 naval exercise. The aim of the exercise is to improve cooperation among NATO and partner nations from the “Partnership for Peace” as well as to upgrade the navigation safety in the Baltic Sea. Although BALTOPS has traditionally been a maritime exercise, this year an offload operation had been organized during which the equipment offload from the maritime preposition vessels was conducted. The main aim of this operation was to develop the host nation support potential and the ability to cooperate in multinational environment. Sabre Strike (October 18 – 31, 2010) Military exercise “Sabre Strike 11” is organized for autumn 2010. It is a Host Nation Support exercise attended by the armed forces of the U.S. and the Baltic States. About 2000 soldiers from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and the U.S. will participate in the military exercise “Sabre Strike 11”. The aim of this military exercise is to improve the cooperation between the armed forces of the Baltic States and the USA and to enhance the host nation support skills of Latvia as well as to strengthen the further cooperation in the military operations in Afghanistan. FINANCING The financing for military exercise of NAF in comparison to 2009 has decreased almost by half (LVL 1.1 million or EUR 1.57 million in 2009 to LVL 610 thousand or EUR 868 thousand in 2010). Organizing such a wide range of international exercise in light of a reduced budget meant prioritizing use of available finances. All three military exercises in Latvia in 2010 have been organized with financial and material support from the allies. A CHALLENGE – HOST NATION SUPPORT This year has brought a new challenge to Latvia managing host nation support. Organizing host nation support operations brings valuable experience which improves the professional skills of soldiers and the National guard, gives an opportunity to host allied forces in the territory of Latvia and to collaborate with them. This military training is meant to improve the cooperation between the defence sector and civil institutions as well as to develop soldiers’ professional skills later to be used in the international operations in Afghanistan. BENEFITS : THE VIEW OF THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE In evaluating international military exercises in Latvia, Minister of Defence Imants Lieăis points out: “Regional international exercises in Latvia have been one of my top three priorities. Working with Allies and being able to receive and host Allied troops is fundamental to our NATO membership and collective defence .” Lieăis emphasizes: “ Interoperability – that is the name of the game. Whether in Afghanistan or Latvia, we need to be able to work with NATO partners. That is why the military exercises in 2010 have helped our soldiers to gain new skills in managing host nation support and improving their ability to take part in the operation in Afghanistan .”

THE LATVIAN INSTITUTE The Latvian Institute promotes knowledge about Latvia abroad. It produces informative materials and works closely with international media professionals in developing a wide variety of communications projects. Contacts: Elizabetes 57 (6th floor) Rīga, LV – 1050, LATVIA Phone: (+371) 67503663 Fax: (+371) 67503669 Email: [email protected] www: www.li.lv Twitter: www.twitter.com/LatviaInstitute

2