In Latvia, the National Armed Forces are responsible for the defense of the country’s sovereignty and territory; they also have some domestic security responsibilities, including coast guard functions, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance, and providing support to other internal security services, including the State Border Service, the State Police, and the State Security Service; the Military Police provides protection to the president and other government officials, foreign dignitaries, and key facilities; for external defense, Latvia’s primary security focus is Russia, which has only increased since the Russian seizure of Crimea in 2014 and full-scale attack on Ukraine in 2022; in 2004, Latvia joined NATO and the EU, which it depends on to play a decisive role in Latvia’s security policy; Latvia is actively engaged in both NATO and the EU, as well as bilaterally with its allies in order to bolster its own security and that of the surrounding region; the Latvian military has participated in NATO and EU missions abroad and regularly conducts training and exercises with NATO and EU partner forces; Latvia also hosts NATO partner forces and is a member of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a pool of high-readiness military forces from 10 Baltic and Scandinavian countries designed to respond to a wide range of contingencies in the North Atlantic, Baltic Sea, and High North regions

the Land Forces have a single mechanized brigade; since 2017, Latvia has hosted a Canadian-led multinational NATO ground force battlegroup as part of the Alliance’s Enhanced Forward Presence initiative; in addition, Latvia hosts a NATO-led divisional headquarters (Multinational Division North; activated 2020), which coordinates training and preparation activities of its respective subordinate NATO battlegroups in Estonia and Latvia; the Land Forces are supplemented by the National Guard, which has four regionally based infantry brigades that are manned by part-time personnel supplemented by some full-time professional soldiers; in peacetime, the brigades participate in emergency, fire and rescue operations, and other emergencies

the Air Force has no combat aircraft; NATO has provided air protection for Latvia since 2004 through its Baltics Air Policing mission; NATO member countries that possess air combat capabilities voluntarily contribute to the mission on four-month rotations; the Naval Forces feature a few patrol vessels and minesweepers; the military also has logistics, military police, special operations forces, and training commands (2024)