Brunssum, The Netherlands – On Friday, 15 March 2024, the Latvian Permanent Representative to NATO, H.E. Ambassador, Māris Riekstiņš, and the Latvian Military Representative to NATO, Major General Ivo Mogiļnijs, visited Headquarters Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS).
The Baltic Sea Region is of pivotal importance for the security of our Alliance and our Western values
They were warmly welcomed by the Commander JFCBS, General Guglielmo Luigi Miglietta and his senior staff, and received a series of briefings and updates on the tasks and responsibilities of JFC Brunssum, as it relates to the various security threats and challenges the Alliance currently faces. In particular, the security situation in the Baltic Region and NATO’s Eastern Flank was discussed in depth. Here, both the Latvian guests as well as COM JFC Brunssum agreed that the recent accession of Sweden to the Western Alliance has significantly strengthened NATO particularly in the Baltic Region and provided an additional layer of security for Latvia and its Baltic neighbours.
In the discussions, Gen Miglietta underlined the great benefit of the military contribution Latvia provides to the Alliance. The country supports ongoing NATO operations in JFC Brunssum’s Area of Responsibility with assuming Framework Nation role to some units assigned to the Alliance, acts as contributing nation to NATO Headquarters like JFC Brunssum, and hosts additional multinational troops and agencies as Host Nation in its territory like the NATO Battle Group in Latvia. Also, in the maritime domain, Latvia regularly contributes to the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1), deploying a Mine Countermeasure vessel.
Gen Miglietta: “We at HQ JFC Brunssum are extremely thankful to Latvia and its Armed Forces for its continued military support and its role as host nation for one of the Battle Groups at NATO’s Eastern Flank. The Baltic Sea Region is of pivotal importance for the security of our Alliance and our Western values. Here, NATO’s overarching principle, that an attack on one member is an attack on the whole Alliance, gains significant importance in light of the increasingly aggressive Russian military posture.”
