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Toronto: The Trudeau government has decided it will send troops to join a NATO high-readiness brigade preparing to deploy in Eastern Europe.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion issued a joint statement today saying Canada will take up a leadership role and establish one of the battle group formations requested by the alliance.
“As a responsible partner in the world, Canada stands side by side with its NATO allies working to deter aggression and assure peace and stability in Europe,” Sajjan said in a statement.
“I am tremendously proud that we are taking a leadership role as a NATO framework nation. I know our men and women in uniform will represent the best that Canada has to offer.”
The official announcement comes just one day after U.S. President Barack Obama challenged Canada to do more to support the military alliance.
Both Sajjan and Dion declined to release further details saying there will be a formal announcement at the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw.
Multiple sources say the deployment would involve hundreds of troops. They will fill out one of four battalions being assembled to act as a deterrence against Russian expansionism and to reassure jittery allies, particularly in the Baltic region.
The U.S., Britain and Germany have already agreed to fill out the other three battalions, which are expected to be sprinkled among the former East Bloc countries.
During his speech to Parliament on Wednesday, the U.S. president’s most pointed remarks involved Canada’s commitment to NATO.
“As your NATO ally and your friend, let me say, we’ll be more secure when every NATO member, including Canada, contributes its full share to our common security,” Obama said. “Because the Canadian Armed Forces are really good. And if I can borrow a phrase, the world needs more Canada. NATO needs more Canada. We need you.”
The deployment would be a “core” contribution, meaning that Canadians would fill the slot permanently until NATO dissolves that force, said one source.
It would require the army to rotate one of its infantry battalions and a headquarters — perhaps as many as 500 troops — into the position once every six months.
Latvia, one of the three Baltic states, is expected to be the location for the Canadian contingent.
NATO builds bigger force
Russia’s annexation of Crimea and support of rebels in eastern Ukraine prompted NATO to increase the size of its existing rapid reaction force to 40,000 soldiers.
In a crisis, that force is expected to assemble and respond within a week to 10 days.
But at the last summit of alliance leaders in Wales, the 28 member countries agreed to create high-readiness brigade of 4,000 troops which could be in place within 48 hours and would be available to deploy into eastern Europe within 48 hours.
The new NATO force is a bone of contention for Russia and some, including Germany’s foreign minister, have suggested it could be seen as a provocation.
When the Cold War ended, Moscow signed a treaty with its former adversary and in it the military alliance explicitly agreed not to station troops along the Russian border in former satellite states.
NATO officials now argue Russia effectively threw out the treaty with the annexation of Crimea and that it has a duty to defend new members, including the Baltic states, Poland and Romania.
