Latvian Armed Forces

News and discussion threads on defence in other parts of the world.
Post Reply
rudiskronitis
Junior Member
Posts: 2
Joined: 08 Sep 2017, 12:49
Contact:
United Kingdom

Latvian Armed Forces

Post by rudiskronitis »

Does Zapad 2017 military exercise threaten the Baltic States?
Latvia is vulnerable
Latvia along with Lithuania and Estonia is at the junction of the geopolitical interests of the United States (representing NATO) and Russia. In fact Latvia has turned into a buffer zone. This position became especially acute in the time of current crisis and on the eve of the Russian-Belarusian exercise "Zapad-2017."
https://latvijaonline.wordpress.com/201 ... vulnerable

User avatar
ArmChairCivvy
Senior Member
Posts: 16312
Joined: 05 May 2015, 21:34
United Kingdom

Re: The Baltic States' Armed Forces

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

Russia has pledged to protect ethnic Russians, so the half of the 35% represented by them is a good insurance, no?
" thanks to NATO, 679,055 citizens of Latvia 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, regardless of age, gender and nationality, are under the gun of Russia. And they consist 35% of the total population!"
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

rudiskronitis
Junior Member
Posts: 2
Joined: 08 Sep 2017, 12:49
Contact:
United Kingdom

Re: The Baltic States' Armed Forces

Post by rudiskronitis »

Latvians do not really know what is right and what is wrong. They are between two powers

User avatar
ArmChairCivvy
Senior Member
Posts: 16312
Joined: 05 May 2015, 21:34
United Kingdom

Re: The Baltic States' Armed Forces

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

Somebody has had a real sense of humour with the symbology on this map: those for both sexes on toilet doors and "no admission".

https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/2 ... ry-460.png

For Latvians it would seem that they have three "danger" signs (standing for the "from standing start" formations, like e.g. VDV). However, it is the colour code that needs reading: none of those in RED existed before 2013... and we all remember what kicked off in 2014
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

User avatar
ArmChairCivvy
Senior Member
Posts: 16312
Joined: 05 May 2015, 21:34
United Kingdom

Re: The Baltic States' Armed Forces

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

One analysis concludes "crying wolf all the time — in the case of Zapad-17, for more than six months — hinders our ability to track, discuss, and react to Russia’s military prowess.

Anyway, soon we will know what happens during and after Zapad-17. The main event is about to open in a military theater near you."

From an interesting defence website http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2017/09 ... ed/140846/ as they ask for permission for Gvmnt officials to contact you when you register. Perhaps this site is meant to be an antidote to
"what we are witnessing today is not Russia excelling in the dark arts of information warfare or “hybrid warfare,” but rather that we in the West have a depressingly low understanding of the workings of great-power politics and adversarial great-power behavior. ;) "
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

abc123
Senior Member
Posts: 2900
Joined: 10 May 2015, 18:15
United Kingdom

Re: The Baltic States' Armed Forces

Post by abc123 »

If any other European country treated it's minorities like Baltic countries treated it's Russian minority- they would have pariah status like North Korea...

But considering that these are evil,evil,evil Russians- they are free to be opressed at will... And not only that, but that's not breaking of their human rights, but on the contrary, spreading of freedom and democracy. :lol:
Fortune favors brave sir, said Carrot cheerfully.
What's her position about heavily armed, well prepared and overmanned armies?
Oh, noone's ever heard of Fortune favoring them, sir.
According to General Tacticus, it's because they favor themselves…

User avatar
ArmChairCivvy
Senior Member
Posts: 16312
Joined: 05 May 2015, 21:34
United Kingdom

Re: The Baltic States' Armed Forces

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

This thread was started with an emphasis on Latvia (why?) of the three Baltic states. So in there, this sounds quite inclusive, but gives you an option to "opt out" if you feel that the country is not worth defending:
" the defense ministry recommends giving elementary and high school students a “mandatory choice” to sign up for basic lessons and training in state defense. Second, it calls for reforming the National Guard—Latvia’s all-volunteer force, which is fully integrated with the professional military."
- the detail carries on about how the NG would be tasked to hold ground, while the pro army would do the manoeuvre warfare part
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)


User avatar
SKB
Senior Member
Posts: 7930
Joined: 30 Apr 2015, 18:35
England

Re: The Baltic States' Armed Forces

Post by SKB »

This thread should be renamed for Latvia, as we don't (yet) have a Latvia thread, but the other Baltic states already do have their own specific threads.

And no, please don't go creating a new Latvia thread as this one can be used for it.

User avatar
The Armchair Soldier
Site Admin
Posts: 1747
Joined: 29 Apr 2015, 08:31
Contact:
United Kingdom

Re: Latvian Armed Forces

Post by The Armchair Soldier »

SKB wrote:This thread should be renamed for Latvia, as we don't (yet) have a Latvia thread, but the other Baltic states already do have their own specific threads.

And no, please don't go creating a new Latvia thread as this one can be used for it.
Makes sense to me. Done.

User avatar
xav
Senior Member
Posts: 1626
Joined: 30 Apr 2015, 22:48

Re: Latvian Armed Forces

Post by xav »

Our team visited the Latvian Navy in August...


User avatar
xav
Senior Member
Posts: 1626
Joined: 30 Apr 2015, 22:48

Re: Latvian Armed Forces

Post by xav »


User avatar
xav
Senior Member
Posts: 1626
Joined: 30 Apr 2015, 22:48

Re: Latvian Armed Forces

Post by xav »


User avatar
ArmChairCivvy
Senior Member
Posts: 16312
Joined: 05 May 2015, 21:34
United Kingdom

Re: Latvian Armed Forces

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

Stand-by to Suwalki Gap coming into focus (again).
Things have hotted up between the two southernmost Baltic states and... Belorus. There's nothing new about this between Lithuania and the Russian 'forepost' in the latter's current political constellation. But the trending of new conflicts @conflicts has picked up this:
Kyle Glen
@KyleJGlen (twitter)
The Mayor of Riga in Latvia just replaced the flag of Belarus with the 'White Red White' flag associated with opposition to Lukashenko.

Needless to say that all diplomats at both ends have already 'packed' their belongings.
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

Lord Jim
Senior Member
Posts: 7314
Joined: 10 Dec 2015, 02:15
United Kingdom

Re: Latvian Armed Forces

Post by Lord Jim »

I wonder where this is all going to end. Strong men need to be seen to be strong and if the West keeps pushing, will Belarus and Russia push back as their economies tank?

User avatar
ArmChairCivvy
Senior Member
Posts: 16312
Joined: 05 May 2015, 21:34
United Kingdom

Re: Latvian Armed Forces

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

Lord Jim wrote:will Belarus and Russia push back as their economies tank?
I have been posting onto the Russian Forces thread RE: what is the value of a fwrd-defence zone (there are no rebels in Belorus, willing to rise for Russia) vs. when will the drag of the current strongman become too much, so that also Putin will seek another internal arrangement within Belorus
- funnily enough, that same strongman was trying to escape the Bearhug, by setting a goal for 80% of oil and gas coming from other sources, a lot of it supposedly flowing thru Klaipieda... a city in :!: Lithuania. So all parts of that plan are now in the 'round' file
- what is new that Latvia has now taken the same stand as its southern neighbour
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

Post Reply