Danish combat battalion arrives in Latvia to join Canadian-led NATO Multinational Brigade

Piranha 5 APCs of the Danish combat battalion driving towards Riga. (Forsvaret/Theis Nielsen)

The Forsvaret (Danish Armed Forces) announced on its website on 12 August 2026 that a Danish combat battalion has arrived in Latvia to participate in NATO's collective defence of the Baltic states until January 2027.

Over 800 soldiers and hundreds of vehicles have arrived at Camp Valdemar in Latvia, completing the deployment of the combat battalion from Denmark, the Forsvaret said. The battalion's commander, Lieutenant Colonel Karina Wøbbe, said, “Now the soldiers will start preparing their equipment, settling into the camp and getting an overview of the area.”

The battalion's vehicles and other military equipment were loaded onto a transport ship in Denmark during the first week of August and sealifted to Latvia escorted by the Royal Danish Navy frigate Esbern Snare. The escort operation was coordinated by the Joint Expeditionary Force and was supported by the Swedish Navy corvette Nyköping and a UK Royal Air Force P-8 maritime patrol aircraft.

The main force of soldiers was flown from Denmark to Latvia by a NATO Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport (MRTT) Unit Airbus A330 MRTT aircraft. The main force's flight was escorted by Danish, Swedish and Turkish fighter jets. A Forsvaret photo showed the A330 MRTT being escorted by a Swedish Air Force Gripen combat aircraft and a Royal Danish Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The combat battalion will train with other units of the Canadian-led NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia (MNB-LVA). Lt Col Wøbbe noted that it is the fifth time Denmark has sent a combat battalion to Latvia since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.