What does the service of Polish tank soldiers in Latvia look like as part of the NATO mission? Do the Leopard 2PL tanks sent there for the first time prove themselves on Latvian training grounds? This and much more in the Defence24 report from the military base in Ādaži.
The Polish Military Contingent in Latvia has been an essential part of the NATO battle group since its beginning, commanded by Canada, the NATO eFP framework nation. At the Ādaži military base, the Defence24 camera had the opportunity to observe the daily service of Polish soldiers from the 11th Lubuska Armoured Cavalry Division (10th Armoured Cavalry Brigade from Świętoszów), who are there as part of the 16th rotation of the Polish Military Contingent.
The soldiers talked about their service and the daily challenges while guarding NATO’s eastern flank on the territory of Latvia. They spoke about the numerous dimensions of their operations that are often omitted in analyses. Therefore, we can hear about the issue of building resilience in the information domain and maintaining morale within the mission. We should also emphasize that the specifics of the current rotation of PKW Latvia were discussed by the commander of Polish soldiers, Maj. Jakub Żołudź.
At the same time, we can hear more about the participation of Leopard 2PL main battle tanks in the mission in Latvia. Until now, the Polish military had been using PT-91 „Twardy” tanks there, which had only been replaced by new machines since this rotation.
Defence24 asked what can be said about testing the Leopard 2PL on Latvian training grounds and maintaining their combat capability within the necessary support base at the Ādaži military base. Emphasizing the importance of threads relating to, for example, the key logistics of our mission within the eFP, from the movement of subsequent rotating soldiers and their equipment to supporting activities directly in Latvia itself.