Danish soldiers take part in a large NATO exercise

By the Danish Defense Command

A busy autumn awaits the more than 800 Danish soldiers at Camp Valdemar. The soldiers moved into the camp at Adazi in Latvia less than a month ago. And Wednesday they packed the vehicles and drove out to the Latvian training ground, where they will be part of the Silver Arrow 2024 exercise until the end of September.

“The exercise has several purposes. Firstly, it is an opportunity to train together with our NATO allies. We also use the opportunity to sharpen our own skills. And of course it has a deterrent effect in relation to Russia when NATO conducts major exercises in this part of Europe," says battalion chief Thomas Jørgensen.

The area around Adazi, where the Danish soldiers are stationed, is less than 250 kilometers from the border between Latvia and Russia. And it is not only to train and carry out exercises with allies that the Danish soldiers are stationed in Latvia.

The combat battalion is part of NATO's advanced readiness in the Baltics and forms part of a multinational brigade that is currently led by Canada.

Attack force during the exercise

Silver Arrow is a recurring exercise and in this year's edition, the Danish soldiers must act as an attack force. What in military parlance is called "OPFOR" (Opposing Force). In other words, the Danes must play the enemy and attack forces that primarily consist of Canadian, American and Latvian soldiers.

“We're going to give them everything we've got. Our allies are skilled and they don't take damage from being challenged. And somewhere, I hope the allies win," says the battalion commander.

The Danish combat battalion must be deployed for four months and consists of a staff, a staff company, an armored infantry company, a mechanized infantry company, a tank squadron and a fire support element.

In addition to the combat battalion, the Danish Armed Forces contribute at several levels to NATO's collective defense in the Baltics and Eastern Europe. The combat battalion in Latvia is part of the Canadian-led Multinational Brigade Latvia, which is part of the Multinational Division North, where Denmark is the framework nation and which is led by a Danish major general.

With Denmark's participation in NATO's preparedness, the soldiers contribute to handling one of NATO's biggest security challenges caused by Russia's war in Ukraine and challenging presence in the Baltic Sea region.

The Danish soldiers contribute to a strong collective defense of NATO's eastern flank, which helps deter Russia from attacking NATO allies and strengthens security in Denmark's immediate area.