Ottawa will spend more than $273 million to obtain new military equipment to safeguard Canadian troops deployed to NATO’s Canada-led Battle Group in Latvia.
Mr. Blair said the equipment is being procured on an “urgent basis” and is expected to be delivered later this year. Its acquisition will mark the first time since 2012 that the Canadian Armed Forces will have air defence capability.
“By investing in air defence and anti-drone capabilities for Canadian troops, we are also bolstering the defensive capabilities of the NATO Battle Group in Latvia as a whole,” Mr. Blair said from Brussels, where he is set to meet with NATO defence ministers.
“Through our leadership of the Battle Group in Latvia and our many other contributions to NATO—including our current participation in Exercise Steadfast Defender—Canada will continue to work with our Allies to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security.”
The RBS 70 NG short-range air defence system from Saab Canada will provide defence against fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters within its range, close air support aircraft, class 1 small Uncrewed Aerial Systems, and larger Uncrewed Aerial Systems.
The new counter-drone equipment will provide “improved protection” by detecting, identifying, tracking, and defeating hostile small drones. The equipment will be acquired from U.S. firm CACI Inc., U.K. firm Leonardo UK Ltd., and TRD Systems of Singapore.
Canada is spending $25 million for Leonardo’s Falcon Shield fixed-site systems and $19 million for the CACI BEAM 3.0 omni-directional systems. The remaining $2 million is being used to acquire TRD’s Orion-H9 dismounted directional system.
The equipment for the Canadian-led NATO brigade in Latvia will fulfill Ottawa’s promise to address significant equipment gaps for troops who have been tasked with discouraging potential Russian aggression in the Baltic region.
Blair Responds to Trump
Defence ministers are meeting in Brussels just days after former U.S. President Donald Trump suggested at a rally that—if he were elected again—he would not defend NATO members that don’t pay their fair share of NATO defence costs.Canada does not currently meet the directive requiring member countries to spend 2 percent of their GDP on NATO defence.
“I’ve lived next door to the United States for a long time. I tend to mostly ignore some of the political rhetoric that takes place during their elections,” Mr. Blair said on Feb. 14 when asked about President Trump’s comments.
“We cannot be distracted from the importance of our collective responsibility to national security and national defence of our countries and of our alliances.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said earlier this week NATO is “more united than ever.” She said Mr. Blair’s presence at the Brussels summit would guarantee Canada would “continue to have a strong voice at the table.”
Roughly 1,000 Canadian soldiers are currently in Latvia and that number is expected to rise to 2,200 deployed troops by 2026.
