On November 28 and 29, the Chair of the EU Military Committee, General Brieger travelled to Latvia upon the invitation of Lieutenant General Leonīds Kalniņš, Chief of Latvian Defence. The visit was an occasion to meet high officials of the security and defence domain and discuss the current geostrategic environment, the recent challenges and the way ahead in European defence cooperation.

The two days provided the Chairman with valuable insights to Latvia’s military capabilities and technological developments on the field of dual-use services and toolkits.

General Brieger met the Minister of Defence, Dr. Andris Sprūds and exchanged views on the global strategic landscape with special focus on the Baltics and Europe.

The hosts organised a visit to Latvijas Mobilais Telefons (LMT), Latvia’s leading telecommunications company which is contributing to defence capabilities with developing the dual (civilian-military) use of 5G services. A presentation about innovations of communications services was held and then followed by demonstration of a wide range of high-tech, multipurpose systems.

The Chair also visited the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, where he met the Director, Jānis Sārts. They discussed today’s information environment and the relevance of accurate, timely and comprehensive strategic messages and public relations both on civilian and military considerations. The visit was an opportunity to enhance cooperation, exchange experience and consider complementary angles of approach between EU and NATO.

The Director of Policy at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ivars Lasis invited General Brieger to an Office Call as well to deepen EU cooperation and review the European outlook in light of the recent geopolitical developments.