The Swedish Armed Forces plan to contribute army units to NATO’s forward presence in Latvia no earlier than 2025, with the first rotation consisting of professional soldiers and officers, mainly from the Skåne Regiment’s 71st Battalion, which is equipped with the AMV (pictured). (Swedish Armed Forces/Tim Gustavsson)

The Swedish Armed Forces announced on their website on 9 January that they plan to contribute army units to NATO’s forward presence in Latvia. The announcement came a day after Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told the annual Folk och Försvars security and defence conference in Sälen that his “government intends to contribute a reduced battalion to the Canadian-led forces in Latvia”.

The Swedish Armed Forces said that Sweden and Denmark would take turns leading a battalion as part of a brigade based outside Riga. Danish and Swedish troops will replace each other every six months, with a Swedish mechanised battalion starting to rotate in 2025 at the earliest.

The South Skåne Regiment has been designated as the first Swedish unit to be deployed in Latvia after Sweden joins NATO, with 600 troops led by a Danish divisional staff. Asked by Janes