Latvian National Armed Forces
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guide | |||
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Commander in Chief : | Egils Levits | ||
Defense Minister: | Artis Pabriks | ||
Military Commander: |
Lieutenant General Leonīds Kalniņš |
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Headquarters: | Riga | ||
Military strength | |||
Active soldiers: | 5,000 (2014) | ||
Conscription: | Voluntary | ||
Eligibility for military service: | 18 years | ||
household | |||
Military budget: | € 449.57 million (2017) | ||
Share of gross domestic product : | 1.7% (2017) | ||
history | |||
Founding: | December 24, 1994 |
The National Armed Forces ( Latvian Nacionālie bruņotie spēki , NBS for short) are the military of the Republic of Latvia . They were established in 1994 and are subordinate to the Latvian Ministry of Defense ( Latvian Aizsardzības ministrija ).
history
The period between 1918 and 1940
During the First World War , purely Latvian combat units were set up for the first time in the Russian Empire in 1915: the so-called Latvian riflemen . Most of these troops went over to the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution and fought in the Russian Civil War . In January 1919, the Latvian Red Riflemen and the International Division formed the Soviet Latvian Army . After the loss of national territory and the Peace of Riga (1920) , the red Latvian associations were demobilized .
The Republic of Latvia, which was proclaimed on November 18, 1918, also formed combat troops with German, Estonian and Allied help, which were combined into the Latvian Army on July 10, 1919 . This army, which existed from July 11, 1919 to June 29, 1940, was officially known as the Latvian Armed Forces ( Latvian Latvijas Bruņotie spēki ). In the autumn of 1919 these troops were able to prevail against the Freikorps under Rüdiger von der Goltz and Pawel Bermondt-Awaloff as well as against the Soviet Latvian forces. The War of Independence ended on August 11, 1920. During the independence period, the Latvian army consisted of four divisions . The Ministry of Security , established in 1918, was renamed the Ministry of War in 1922 .
Latvian SSR and World War II
Latvia was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940 without resistance and incorporated as the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic . The Latvian Army was incorporated into the Red Army as the 24th Territorial Corps . During the German-Soviet War, there were two divisions of the Red Army from Latvians: the 201st Rifle Division (later renamed the 43rd Guards Division) and the 308th Rifle Division.
After the German occupation of Latvia in 1941, foreign volunteers from the Waffen SS were called upon to join the German fight against the Soviet Union. Later all Latvian men were subject to conscription and served in German or Latvian associations. The collective term for all Latvian associations set up within the framework of the Waffen-SS , Police and Air Force was Latvian Legion . A total of around 160,000 Latvians were in German service during the war.
The time since 1991
In 1991, Latvia regained its independence as a democratic state. Denmark, Norway, the United States and Great Britain helped build the Latvian National Armed Forces, whose strategy initially focused entirely on national defense . General conscription was introduced in 1992. Since 1994, the country took part in the NATO program Partnership for Peace in part. NBS soldiers have been participating in international missions since 1996. In September 1998, Russian troops dismantled the Skrunda radar station as their last military facility in Latvia.
Latvia has been a NATO member since 2004, which has accelerated the targeted restructuring of the armed forces that has been ongoing since 1999. In 2005 the last conscripts were called up. Since January 1st, 2007 the Latvian army has been based entirely on contracts for work and services. The North-East Multinational Corps of NATO was reinforced by the incorporation of brigades from the three Baltic states .
Armed Forces Commander
The following people have been the military commanders in chief of the Latvian Armed Forces over the years:
Surname | period of service | comment |
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Dāvis Sīmansons | July 10, 1919 - October 16, 1919 | |
Jānis Balodis | October 16, 1919 - April 1, 1921 | |
Mārtiņš Peniķis | April 1, 1921 - February 23, 1924 | |
Pēteris Radziņš | February 23, 1924 - April 25, 1928 | |
Mārtiņš Peniķis | April 25, 1928 - November 14, 1934 | |
Krišjānis Berķis | November 14, 1934 - June 20, 1940 | |
Dainis Turlais | January 29, 1992 - October 25, 1994 | |
Juris Dalbiņš | October 25, 1994 - June 8, 1998 | |
Juris Eihmanis | June 25, 1998 - December 10, 1998 | |
Raimond's gray | February 1, 1999 - January 31, 2003 | |
Gaidis Andrejs Zeibots | February 1, 2003 - July 6, 2006 | Resignation before regular term of office ends |
Juris Maklakovs | July 6, 2006 - July 5, 2010 | |
Raimond's gray | July 6, 2010 - January 26, 2017 | 2nd + 3rd Term of office, resignation before regular term of office ends |
Leonīds Kalniņš | since January 27, 2017 |
structure
The Latvian armed forces consist of the armed forces
- Land Forces ( Latvian Sauszemes spēki )
- Naval Forces ( Latvian Jūras spēki )
- Air Force ( Latvian Gaisaspēki spēki )
- National Guard ( Latvian Zemessardze )
There is also a border guard at paramilitary forces. Its 3,500 members are subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior.
equipment
- Army: 123 CVR (T) Scorpion reconnaissance vehicles
- Navy: including 11 patrol boats and 5 former Dutch Tripartite class mine hunters
- Air Force: 4 helicopters ( Mil Mi-17 ), no combat aircraft
International cooperation
Participation in missions abroad
The Latvian National Armed Forces took part in the following missions abroad:
- In Iraq ( Operation Iraqi Freedom ) until 2009.
- In Afghanistan ( ISAF ).
- In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Operation ALTHEA of the European Union .
- In Georgia as an observer in the EDSO program.
- In Kosovo , in the ( KFOR ) operation of NATO.
- In Mali ( EUTM Mali ) up to seven soldiers in a Scandinavian-Baltic training team
- In Mali ( MINUSMA ), 1–3 staff officers at the Force Headquarters in Bamako since 2016
- In Iraq ( Operation Inherent Resolve ) up to 10 soldiers since 2016
Cooperation with Estonia & Lithuania
The Air Force operates the BaltNet air surveillance system with its Baltic neighbors . The facilities and resources of the naval forces of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are shared within the framework of BALTRON . BALTBAT is the joint infantry division of the three countries within the NATO Response Forces .
In addition, there are numerous educational institutions that are operated jointly with the Estonian and Lithuanian armed forces . One example is the Baltic Defense Academy ( BALTDEFCOL ) in Tartu , where the future staff officers of the Baltic states are trained.
See also
literature
- Kārlis Krēsliņš, Aleksandrs Pavlovičs, Inese Krēsliņa: Defense of the <sic!> Latvia: Past, Present and Future . In: Baltic Security and Defense Review , ISSN 1736-3772 , Vol. 13 (2011), Issue 2, pp. 110-127 ( online ).
Web links
- Latvian Ministry of Defense (English, Latvian)
- Latvian National Armed Forces (Latvian)
- Latvian National Armed Forces 1930-1932 (English, Latvian, Russian)
Individual evidence
- ^ Financial and Economic Data Relating to NATO Defense. (PDF, 424kB) Press Release PR / CP (2015) 093-COR1. In: NATO Public Diplomacy Division. June 22, 2015, accessed March 22, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Latvijas aizsardzības budžets - viens no straujāk augošajiem pasaulē. Retrieved January 2, 2017 (Latvian).
- ↑ International Institute for Strategic Studies : The Military Balance , 2002.
- ↑ Latvijas armijas komandieri ( Memento from October 26, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (Latvian)
- ↑ Latvian army purchases UK armored combat vehicles , accessed March 23, 2020.
- ↑ Latvia to commence first UN peacekeeping mission and increase engagement in the international coalition's fight against Da'esh. Retrieved March 4, 2017 .