Eduardo González
This Monday begins the relief of the 622 Spanish soldiers who currently participate in the NATO mission Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP), located at the Adazi military base (Latvia), to contribute to deterrence on the flank. This.
This was announced last Monday by the Ministry of Defense on the occasion of the visit of the head of the Department, Margarita Robles, to the Adazi base (Latvia), on her fourth trip to the mission since 2021. Spain has participated in eFP since June 2017 and currently has its largest contingent abroad in Latvia. The start of the war in Ukraine has forced this mission to be reinforced, which, in the case of Spanish troops, has translated into an increase in troops. Spain is the second country that contributes the most personnel to the mission and the first in combat power.
Due to the extension of the mission throughout 2024, it is planned to relieve the contingent personnel between December 11 and 17. The current contingent is made up of 622 troops, who mainly belong to the Guadarrama XII Brigade and the Logistics Brigade, completed by personnel belonging to the Engineer Command, the Transmission Command and the Field Artillery Command.
In addition, there are eight troops from the 94th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment operating a medium-range NASAMS battery in the north of the country. The Aragón I Brigade and the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Command will take over. The Spanish troops, among other tasks, are dedicated to interoperating with the Latvian Armed Forces to complement their capabilities and to actively participate in the exercises and activities of the mission.
During her visit, in which she was accompanied by the Secretary General of Defense Policy, Admiral General Juan Francisco Martínez Núñez, and the Commander of the Operations Command, Lieutenant General Francisco Braco, Robles personally thanked the “important work they do, leaving their home and their families, but, above all, complying with rigor and professionalism and leaving the Spanish flag very high.”
She also held a meeting with her Latvian counterpart, Andris Sprüds, with whom she discussed the permanence of the Spanish contingent. From the capital, the delegation traveled to the Adazi maneuvering field, where they had the opportunity to learn first-hand about the daily life of the soldiers stationed there, who in just fifteen days will take over the next contingent.
