January 1, 2019
Petawawa, Ontario – 150 soldiers from 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (2 CMBG) were welcomed home today upon their return from Latvia and their work on Operation (Op) REASSURANCE and the enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup (eFP BG), Canada’s ongoing contribution to the NATO mission of deterrence in the Baltics.
Today marked the first chalk of the 540 soldiers scheduled to return by the end of January who were received by family and friends at a ceremony held at the home of the 1st Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment, at Garrison Petawawa. The bulk of Canadian soldiers returning from this rotation are from 2 CMBG.
Quick Facts
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Deployments under Op REASSURANCE are scheduled to continue until March, 2023. The next rotation will be manned by soldiers from 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group from Valcartier, Québec, and are already in theatre in Latvia.
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The EFP BG in Latvia is led by Canada, the Framework Nation, and is currently comprised of 8 nations: Albania, Canada, Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.
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The eFP BG in Latvia is flanked by 3 other NATO eFP BGs in Estonia, Lithuania and Poland which were emplaced after a unanimous decision by NATO nations after the illegal Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.
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Operation REASASURANCE is currently in its 11th rotation, led by Lieutenant Colonel Philipe Sauvé from the 12e Régiment Blindé du Canada.