The Diplomat
Spain is going to reinforce with 150 military personnel its participation in the NATO mission in Latvia, after the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, announced this past Monday the deployment of new Spanish troops on the borders with Russia in the framework of the international response to the invasion of Ukraine.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces will reinforce the Spanish contingent deployed in Latvia in the framework of the NATO Battle Group involved in the Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) mission. This operational adjustment is contemplated in the agreements of the Council of Ministers on peace missions abroad and will not require the authorization of the Congress of Deputies because it is part of a deployment already authorized previously by the Parliament.
“Thus, about 150 military personnel will soon join the work being carried out by the nearly 350 men and women currently deployed in Latvia, mostly from the Guzmán el Bueno X Brigade (Córdoba), under the operational control of the Operations Command,” the Government said. “This initiative is part of the response plans to preserve peace and security, approved by all member countries following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” it added. The additional capabilities contributed by Spain will be a Field Artillery Unit, an Engineer Unit (Sappers and Supports) and logistic support capabilities.
The eFP mission aims to maintain deterrence against any aggression against Baltic allies through a defensive deployment and responds to the Alliance’s commitment to assist allied countries. NATO already has four multinational tactical groups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
Margarita Robles announced this past Monday the deployment of new troops during her visit to Lebanon to attend the handover of the command of the United Nations Interim Force Mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to Spanish General Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz. “NATO’s position is to reinforce the border of allied countries and that is where Spain will be, without any doubt,” she declared. Spain is “firmly committed and, in order to preserve peace, in agreement with our allies,” it will take “the necessary border reinforcement measures,” she continued.
“We must protect the borders of all NATO countries and demonstrate to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin that we do not accept any kind of threat, neither nuclear threats nor threats to surrounding countries will be able to overcome the unity of the European Union and NATO,” Robles warned. The deployment announced yesterday is in line with the decisions of the NATO Military Committee (formed by the Chiefs of Staff of the 30 allied countries), which met on Monday to design the reinforcement of the borders on the eastern flank.
On the other hand, Robles yesterday criticized the statements of Podemos (partner of the PSOE in the government of Pedro Sánchez) against the EU decision to deliver arms to Ukraine, as well as the sanctions and the vetoes to Russian media, statements that, in the opinion of the minister, “are the result of ignorance” about the war and about the role of NATO. “The only one who has waged war and is massacring the civilian population is Putin”, said Robles on Telecinco’s El Programa de Ana Rosa.
