Latvia ordered 123 British Combat Reconnaissance (Tracked) (CVRT) light armored vehicles, which Britain had retired in 2010. The vehicles will help in mechanizing Latvia’s infantry brigade.
The vehicles are expected to enable the Latvian Army to better transport infantry, reconnaissance teams, air defense sections and mortar fire controllers and also provide vital battlefield capabilities, including ambulances, armored command vehicles and armored recovery vehicles.
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| Latvia testing a CVRT Scimitar in may 2014 |
At the moment the Latvian Army uses a few Soviet made T-55 main battle tanks and BRDM-2 reconnaissance vehicles.
The protocol for the purchase was signed in February 2014 by Defense Minister Raimonds Vejonis, who is since June 2015 the current Latvian President. The realization of this project fits in earlier statements by the new Latvian government where it was announced that Latvia will increase its defense budget to two percent of its GDP and give a higher priority to its armed forces.
Analysis
Latvia’s geography is known for its flat topography, like the other Baltic States. This makes the country ideal for the execution of mechanized maneuvers. Latvia, just like Estonia and Lithuania, fear Russia and take in account that Russia in the future might interfere in the Baltic States. Just how this interference will be ranges from using the ethnic Russian population against the government, hybrid warfare as was seen in Eastern Ukraine or even a full scale invasion and annexation.
Several months earlier the Czech General Petr Paval stated in June that Russia would be capable occupying all three Baltic States within two days. If true then Russia would be able to occupy the three Baltic States before NATO can react fast and powerful enough to dislodge them.
This places a heavy burden on the armed forces of the Baltic States. These countries will have to be able to hold off any Russia advance sufficiently long enough on their own, or at least delay them in several key areas in order to give NATO time to send in additional forces and their supplies.
The biggest advantage NATO in general has over Russia is the quality of its armies. NATO has more technologically advanced units then Russia has. This means that for the same amount of military equipment NATO can inflict more damage to its adversaries then they can inflict on NATO.
Modernizing the Baltic Armies will strengthen their capabilities in holding off a potential Russian invasion and thus buy NATO sufficient time to mobilize. Modernization also serves as a powerful deterrent against Russia. Russia is forced to commit more military units in the field when confronted with a more modern army.
