CAN Enhanced (Permanent?) Fwd Presence in Latvia

[The Bread Guy]

... This decision is purely for domestic consumption, i.e. avoid any Op HONOUR/Disorderly Conduct that could paint the CAF in a negative light that our national media can grab a hold of.

Given that the Russian Foreign Ministry has already lied provided alternative facts about Canada providing ammunition to Ukraine (Google translation below)...

... With serious concern, they took Canada's decision to extend for a period of two years its military mission in Ukraine. Within its framework, Canadian instructors are engaged in the so-called Ukrainian polygons. "Training" Ukrainian soldiers for subsequent shipment to the Donbass.

We consider such decisions and actions of the Government of Canada to be extremely dangerous. They interfere with the political settlement of the ongoing confrontation caused by the Kiev authorities. Moreover, according to the information available to us, the instructors are not limited to instructors - the Canadians began to supply ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces, which will undoubtedly fall into the conflict zone ...

... and recent "the Germans are raping Lithuanian women" narratives, I don't know it it may be a bit much, but I think there's a reasonable risk of being worried about more than just adverse domestic Canadian media coverage.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

Given that the Russian Foreign Ministry has already lied provided alternative facts about Canada providing ammunition to Ukraine (Google translation below)...... and recent "the Germans are raping Lithuanian women" narratives, I don't know it it may be a bit much, but I think there's a reasonable risk of being worried about more than just adverse domestic Canadian media coverage.

I would argue their media releases are also for domestic consumption, domestic being Russian.

 

[Rifleman62]

Will the troops be allowed to have a beer on base?

 

[The Bread Guy]

I would argue their media releases are also for domestic consumption, domestic being Russian.

True, but that doesn't change the fact that a public statement, spoken to reporters by a government foreign ministry spokesperson, and repeated on an externally-available web page (with the same allegation appearing in the English-language version - which I'm guessing isn't aimed at domestic audiences) is still "Russia Says Canada Selling or Giving Ammunition to Ukraine"*

And their English-language, RUS-state-funded media is aimed at who, exactly?

... Canada has begun to supply the Ukrainian military with ammunition that is sure to be delivered to the conflict zone, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed out ...

* - Sorta like this making it look like Canada says "He was THE Archtitect" ...

 

[The Bread Guy]

This from Latvian media, shared under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-42) ...

Part of the Canada-led multinational NATO battalion arriving to bolster Latvia's defense will have to live in tents until the fall, as reconstruction of barracks at the Adazi military base will not be completed for several months, the LETA newswire reported May 17.

The matter was discussed at a closed meeting of the Defense Ministry's officials and Saeima Defense, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee members May 17.

Defense Minister Raimonds Bergmanis told LETA that overall, the project was being implemented on schedule. If the allies had any concerns, these would have been made known to the Defense Ministry, he said.

"Logistics teams of the allied troops are already operating in Adazi. It's a complex process. There will be almost 400 logistics specialists here soon, who will be involved in construction and setting up the technical equipment," said Bergmanis, saying that the first troops from the multinational battalion had arrived in Latvia quite a long time ago.

The entire battalion is to be deployed to Latvia by June, but it will be impossible to build the new barracks by that time, which is why some of the soldiers will have to stay under canvas.

"The Canadian side has been very understanding and is ready to give the barracks to soldiers from other countries, while the Canadians will be living in tents up until part of the barracks is reconstructed. By the fall, however, they will all have a solid roof over their heads," claimed the minister.

However, readying the facilities for the troops to be stationed in Latvia seems to be lagging behind similar preparations in Estonia and Lithuania.

 

[The Bread Guy]

More on the infrastructure issues, shared under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-42) ...

Reconstruction of barracks continues in Adazi, part of NATO battalion soldiers will have to live in tents until fall

RIGA, May 17 (LETA) - Part of the Canada-led multinational NATO battalion will have to live in tents until the fall, which is when reconstruction of barracks at the Adazi military will be completed.

The matter was discussed at a closed meeting of the Defense Ministry's officials and Saeima Defense, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee members today.

Defense Minister Raimonds Bergmanis (Greens/Farmers) told LETA that overall, the project was being implemented on schedule. If the allies had any concerns, these would have been made known to the Defense Ministry, he said.

"Logistics teams of the allied troops are already operating in Adazi. It's a complex process. There will be almost 400 logistics specialists here soon, who will be involved in construction and setting up the technical equipment," said Bergmanis, reminding that the first troops from the multinational battalion had arrived in Latvia quite a long time ago.

The entire battalion is to be deployed to Latvia by June, but it will be impossible to build the new barracks by that time, which is why part of the soldiers will have to stay in specialized army tents. "The Canadian side has been very understanding and is ready to give the barracks to soldiers from other countries, while the Canadians will be living in tents up until part of the barracks is reconstructed. By the fall, however, they will all have a solid roof over their heads," emphasized the minister.

Published: 17.05.2017 17:34
Gatis Kristovskis, LETA​

 

[MilEME09]

They are really going to long lengths to make it feel like a 6 month long maple resolve

 

[The Bread Guy]

More details from the Latvian military info-machine on Canada's

Composition of NATO battlegroup in Latvia laid out

The total number and composition of the NATO battalion under Canadian command that will be on duty in Latvia from June has been specified by Latvia's National Armed Forces information portal www.sargs.lv.

According to sargs.lv*, the Canadian-led battalion level battle group will be composed of about 1,138 soldiers, as well as armor, armored transport and combat support.

Of that number, 450 will be Canadian mechanized infantry bringing with them armored vehicles and various support elements. A specialized Canadian reconnaissance platoon will also be on the ground.

Albania will send 18 combat (explosive ordnance disposal) engineers.

Italy will send a mechanized infantry company consisting of 160 soldiers plus armored fighting vehicles.

Poland will send a tank company with 160 troops.

Slovenia will send 50 soldiers specializing in defense aaginst weapons of mass destruction, (chemical, biological and nuclear weapon defense, decontamination operations etc).

Spain will send the second-largest contingent: 300 soldiers from a mechanized infantry company and armored vehicles, combat engineers and support elements. See them in action in the video below.

Though some troops and equipment are already on the ground, the bulk of the reinforcements, which will work in concert with local Latvian forces, is expected to arrive in June.

Table of breakdown (including Austria's Latvia's flag instead of Canada's) attached.

* - This links to the original source article in Latvian -- Google translation to English of that one here (beware weird reformatting w/the Google Translate).

OP edit to fix lack-of-flag-recognition-skills mistake.

 

[NEM3sis]

More details from the Latvian military info-machine on Canada's Table of breakdown (including Austria's flag instead of Canada's) attached.

* - This links to the original source article in Latvian -- Google translation to English of that one here (beware weird reformatting w/the Google Translate).

Latvia flag, not Austria

 

[The Bread Guy]

Latvia flag, not Austria

Well, I'll let Jack Nicholson say it for me ...  :facepalm:  Thanks for that - much appreciated.

 

[Journeyman]

Latvia flag, not Austria

Well, I'll let Jack Nicholson say it for me ...  :facepalm:  Thanks for that - much appreciated.

It's a poor representation of either flag.  For Austria, the white and dark red bands are all the same width;  they're not in that graphic, so it's not Austria's flag.  The white band on Latvia's flag is half the width of the dark red bands; it's not quite that narrow, but it's close.

So no need to apologize to those picking fly-feces out of the pepper. 

Now, posting a link to "Jack Nicholson," when it's clearly Will Smith in Hancock.......  ;D

 

[MarkOttawa]

Polish tanks arriving in Latvia, via Twitter May 31:

Cez Arysta
‏ @cezarysta

.@NATO #Polish #PT91 tanks, contribution to #CAN-led #eFP #battlegroup arrived to #Latvia #PMCLatvia (pics: @Latvijas_armija)
https://twitter.com/cezarysta/status/869807529873866752

No Canadian Army tanks going--Spanish also deploying tanks:
https://www.neweurope.eu/article/spanish-nato-troops-deploy-latvia-first-time-since-wwii/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Tanks cost money to maintain, transport to the area.  Rumour is they aren't very fuel efficient as well.  They also cause pollution and stuff.  Despite having fairly new tanks, its not like we can you know, just whip them out or something. 

 

[Kirkhill]

More details from the Latvian military info-machine on Canada's Table of breakdown (including Austria's Latvia's flag instead of Canada's) attached.

* - This links to the original source article in Latvian -- Google translation to English of that one here (beware weird reformatting w/the Google Translate).

OP edit to fix lack-of-flag-recognition-skills mistake.

Seeing the tanks along with a battalion made up of IFVs from three countries (LAVs, ASCODs or BMRs or Piranhas (if Spanish Marines), Dardos or Freccias or Pumas)....... Who is managing the Service Coy?  (I assume it will only be a company seeing as how we are only looking at a battalion - or will we need a Service Bde?)

 

[The Bread Guy]

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Lithuania, Russian-state media is keeping the world informed about the REAL threats ...

That awkward moment when those famous for discipline and charged with securing your country pick a drunken fistfight and get a spanking - this is what happened in Lithuania to four NATO soldiers from Germany.

"Four drunken German servicemen deployed to Lithuania were harmed in a scuffle in [the town of] Jonava," local police said in a statement.*

The conflict broke out on Friday night, and the soldiers are currently receiving outpatient treatment, according to law enforcement.

The four "soldiers of misfortune" wore civilian clothes and the incident occurred in their off-duty hours. A pre-trial investigation is underway ...

* -- Here's what Google Translate was able to piece together from the Kaunas cop shop blotter:  "Public nuisance -- 2017-06-03 about 03:30 pm. Jonava Rally g., The conflict and a fight during the German victims of NATO soldiers R. V., born. 1981, Mr S. was born. 1989 S. D., was born. In 1990 and D. S., born. 1989. For persons who present injuries to hospital."

 

[MarkOttawa]

Fact sheet from a logistician worth following on twitter, note armour:

Cez Arysta
‏ @cezarysta

.@NATO Quick fact sheet about #CAN-led #eFP #battlegroup which will be soon operating in #Adazi, #Latvia #BGLVA #WeAreNATO

https://twitter.com/cezarysta/status/873795475031437314

More on Spanish armour:

Cez Arysta
‏ @cezarysta

.@NATO #ESP vehicles, including #Leopard2E & #ASCOD #Pizarro arrived at #Riga in support of #eFP #battlegroup (pics: @Latvijas_armija)

https://twitter.com/cezarysta/status/873910043351162881

Mark
Ottawa

 

[The Bread Guy]

Aaaaand sure enough ...

Russian-language propagandists are taking aim at Canada's military mission to Latvia by linking the troops to the army's most disgraced commander.

A website with the same name as a prominent Russian news program has re-published infamous photos of convicted killer Russell Williams wearing women's underwear, suggesting the Canadian army is full of homosexuals and shouldn't be counted on by Latvians.

Canadian commanders had been warned to expect a barrage of negative Russian propaganda over this mission.

The article appeared on a Russian-language news site called Vesti.lv, which is also the name of a TV news show in Russia.

The story mocks Canada's military mission in Latvia with the headline, "The Gay Battlegroup: NATO has dug into Latvia."

It goes on to say that the U.S. has the only worthwhile military in the Baltics and all the others — including Canada — are "deeply comical." ...

Here's the article in question in Russian -- Google English version below:

The "Blue Division" of NATO has been entrenched in Latvia. Waiting for reinforcements

Pogano in this story the following: having brought in my Latvia any rusty armored junk and the officers who are not able to manage with spirits, any overseas bosses can suddenly decide that it is time to check once again the strength of the Russian army, - considers the Latvian publicist Yuri Alekseev .

" Spanish tanks arrived in Latvia, and with them - 300 Spaniards . This is NATO's intention to protect our country from the bloodthirsty Putin, "writes Latvian publicist Yuri Alekseev on the portal Imhoclub .

" And the NATO commanders told that the Spanish tankmen" on the eastern flank of NATO in the immediate vicinity of Russian borders "will be reinforced by the Poles, Italians, Slovenes and Albanians. Command them will be Canadian officers. And the sky over my god-rescued country will be patrolled in turn by Danish and Dutch fighters ...

Canadian colonels ... Spanish tankmen ... Italian marines ... Polish motorized cavalry ... Dutch airplanes (in half with Danish) ... Slovenian navy ... And cherry on the cake - Albanian strategic missile forces. I have not forgotten anyone? Nothing mixed up? Lord, forgive me!

But seriously, this clowning personally began to irritate me. Not funny.

In the whole circus called "NATO" there is only one more or less efficient army - the United States. And then, when they are opposed by the enemy, who has been behind the armament for half a century, or better - for the century. All other "troops" (Canadian, Slovenian, Albanian, Latvian, Estonian) are amusing. Deeply amusing.

Just recently, these soldiers were carrying a fuel tank across Latvia, collided with their own military police car (one of them did not give way) and overturned (two military men in the hospital) ... In Estonia NATO BTR flew out of the road and into something (Two in the hospital), the NATO signalers hooked up the high-voltage line with the antenna (two more - in the hospital) ... And the worst thing: the NATO officer warmed up the dinner on the spirit lamp - set fire to his pants (I'm afraid he was there) ... Wars Not yet, but the losses are huge (as a percentage of the number of troops).

Let's approach the question from the other side: who goes to the army in modern Europe? Have you seen that young (European)? I see her regularly. A pampered herbivorous generation. At the age of 20 already with pusses and beards.

If you see a slender, "fitnesovogo" youth - then 99% of the probability that - gay. Gay people are watching their body ...

So who goes there in the army? Those who could not even get a job as a sales manager in this life. I did not have the intelligence. Why do they join the army? Fight? To shed blood for the Motherland? Excuse me, but for what "homeland" did the Spanish tankmen come to Latvia to shed their blood? Or Canadian officers. For WHAT did they intend to fight? With what slogan will they go into battle? "For the Motherland, for NATO?" "For the Motherland, for the European Union?" It's funny ...

And I'll tell you: these boys, who have gathered from countries that have never won a single war in their entire history, just went to serve in the army in order to earn some money and get benefits (insurance, service pensions, etc.) . And anyway, the beautiful shape is cool ... Do they want war? God forbid! They and in peacetime, their perineum scorch regularly.

They sent them now on a business trip to Latvia-Estonia-Lithuania-yes, it's bad (in Spain it's warmer). The hardships and deprivations of military service are harsh! But business trips are dripping, and Latvians with Estonians and Lithuanians are pretty, in the evenings you can frolic with them. And you can get a local patsan from the muzzle. What, too, brightens the harsh military everyday life ...

Pogano in this story the following: having brought in my Latvia any rusty armored junk and the officers who are not able to manage with spirits, any overseas bosses can suddenly decide that it is time to check once again the strength of the Russian army.

Do you think it's incredible? And 9 years ago a Georgian dzhigit has already tried it. And I do not believe that he did it on his own initiative, without getting orders from across the ocean. And he also had a fucking army of jigits, who had been trained by "experienced NATO instructors" for many years. Mind and military skill they did not add to the jigits, but they inspired the conviction that Russians can be defeated.

Everything ended badly. Not in the sense that self-assured dzhigits got on brains quickly and rigidly (it just was them - it is useful). And the fact that a lot of ammunition produced on both sides fell on the heads of a peaceful, absolutely unaffected population.

And I, as a representative of the civilian population of Latvia, are not at all pleased with the prospect of becoming a target for someone's ammunition. Hot Spanish tankers and Canadian colonels (who arrived to us a few days ago) in the event of war will crumble to their Spain and Canada, and we will be left to bury women and children ...

Therefore, I think that I will not be mistaken if I try to formulate the general opinion of the majority of the inhabitants of Latvia: but you would not go, Spanish tankmen, with your tanks back to your Spain. Drink your wine there, eat the jamon, and it will become quite boring - shoot from the tanks in your Catalans or Basques. You do not need us here at all. Adyos, amigos!

PS And the Spaniards with their tanks are not the first time here. There was such a Spanish volunteer "Blue Division" in the Wehrmacht, which fought with the USSR in the Second World War. In the siege of Leningrad, she participated ... For her it was very badly over.

PPS On the photo above - the color of the Canadian officers - the commander of the largest air force base. On the right - in the service, on the left - in social networks. A real colonel! The truth is Canadian ... "

Author: Yuri Alekseev, source: Imhoclub

And before discounting this as "just some crap web page," keep in mind people smarter than me out there say Russian-language speakers in Latvia consume very little Latvian- or English-language media, meaning what they see/hear/read may be pretty much all they know about the Canadian mission.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Another earth-shattering development shared with the world by Russian state-funded media!

"A US Army soldier has been fined after getting caught urinating on the building of the Lithuanian Ministry of the Interior in Vilnius, Lithuania. The incident is the latest in what seems like a never-ending series of unpleasant situations involving NATO troops in the Baltic countries in recent weeks ..."

Original source for story:  a Lithuanian news page (essentially) owned by RIA Novosti (RUS-funded media) which also runs sputniknews.com ...
#ActiveMeasuresRule!

 

[The Bread Guy]

This from Alicia Wanless, (strategic comms practitioner), via CBC.ca, shared under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-42) ...

As Canadian troops begin their mission in Latvia — a deterrence operation, intended to send a strong message to Russia about interfering in neighbouring NATO member countries — an invisible battle for hearts and minds will be happening back at home.

The goal: destroy public support for the mission in Canada.

Russia isn't likely to engage in conventional warfare anytime soon, but it does have a number of information warfare tools it can use to test NATO's resolve and capabilities without sparking a broader conflict.

Many of us have already heard about these tools taking the form of fake news, online trolls, data leaks and targeted digital surveillance of troops and their families back home. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Participatory propaganda

The real power in modern information warfare is what I call "participatory propaganda," in which a propagandist seeks to influence unsuspecting people in order to get them to actively start spreading a certain message, for free, without them even knowing what's happening.

In this Russian example, not only would it sow ill-will toward Canadian troops among Latvian hosts, but it will also aim to delegitimize the mission in the eyes of Canadians at home. 

Here's how this works. Propagandists can already access a wealth of information about a target audience based on its public online activities. In a country with high internet usage such as Canada, propagandists can piece together a startling amount of intelligence based on what websites people visit, their online shopping habits, the things they like on Facebook, their sources of information and the friends they keep, all of which is largely gleaned through third-party tracking cookies and other service providers.

That information can, in turn, be used to create inflammatory content that plays on identified biases in thinking and aims to provoke the viewer into action. This content can come in the form of fake news, memes and data "leaks," which will be pushed through the online communities Canadians frequent: for example, far right and far left Facebook groups. 

Let's imagine, for example, that "Bill" from Manitoba has a bunch of friends who follow the Canada First Facebook page. One of those friends shares an article about Canada's minister of defence embellishing his role in Afghanistan. Now, Bill is very much a supporter of our troops, and the story angers Bill, so he posts an emoji reaction and comments on the post. Perhaps he shares it further and even likes the Facebook page.

When a more racist meme about the minister comes out next, Bill might be primed to engage. Over time, this exposure makes him more receptive to such messages and erodes his faith in the minister's decision-making abilities, all of which makes Bill — and other members of the page — ripe for propaganda delegitimizing the NATO mission in Latvia.

Russian propagandists need not start or run these pages, but simply inject content onto them. To the audiences engaging with it, this content will seem to be coming from other concerned Canadians running Facebook pages. And as Canadians are increasingly exposed to this "information," they will be encouraged to actively spread and share these messages to their networks, co-opting unsuspecting users into participating as propagandists too.

Ultimately, this flurry of activity will gain the attention of mainstream media, which will only provide more exposure for these propaganda efforts. 

What's more, these channels don't simply disappear after a conflict has ended, but are instead repurposed time and time again to influence decision-making on other key issues. In the UK, for example, many Facebook pages and web networks established for Brexit were kept alive after the vote and subsequently used to galvanize support for the right during the recent general election.

An evolving threat

While governments and politicians might be the ultimate power behind such propaganda campaigns, there is an underworld marketplace with trolls-for-hire that help make such efforts possible. In short, this is an evolving threat that, to tackle, requires a combined skill set of countering modern propaganda, advanced understanding of information communication technologies, behavioural psychology and more.

The Canadian Armed Forces certainly have a challenging task before them. The recently released Liberal defence policy acknowledges pressing needs in the cyber and information operations domains for the future, but that support is sorely needed now.

Russia has long questioned NATO's necessity in a post-Soviet era, and NATO, in turn, has struggled to create a narrative that resonates among all its member states. Justifying a mission both to Latvians and Canadians back at home — especially in the face of increasingly complex propaganda models — is a much more difficult task.

 

[Old Sweat]

And this came down Thursday on the regimental net.

Deployment of a 1RCHA M777 Battery to Latvia

The Chief of Defence Staff has directed the deployment of a M777 Battery from the Canadian Army in support of the Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group (eFP BG), specifically for bi-lateral training with U.S. units in September 2017, and Exercise SILVER ARROW, occurring in October 2017. 1 RCHA has been tasked to generate a 4 gun M777 Bty. Equipment will be shipped from Canada in late July and our soldiers will deploy under command of BC Z Bty, Maj Keith Woodill in Late Aug or Early Sep. Maj Woodill's Tac HQ along with FSCC and one FOO Party are already in Latvia and providing Fire support advice and coordination to the 1 PPCLI eFP BG. The 1 PPCLI eFP BG is comprised of approx. 450 Canadians and soldiers from Albania, Italy, Poland Slovenia and Spain.