Canada may join NATO force to deter Russia

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Ont.

Canadian troops could soon join soldiers from the U.S., Germany and Britain as part of a NATO force to counter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, Canadian media reported Thursday.

The Canadian troops would join U.S. soldiers in Latvia, while the British would be stationed in Estonia and the Germans in Lithuania, according to the Globe and Mail newspaper.

The expected deployment of about 4,000 NATO troops on a rotating basis comes amid a warning earlier this month by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) that the Russian military is gearing up for a fight.

“Russia is not modernizing its military primarily to extend its capacity to pursue hybrid warfare,” a 104-page report by CSIS opined. “It is modernizing conventional military capability on a large scale; the state is preparing for war.”

Just two days after the CSIS warning was issued, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said he was pleased by Canada’s contributions of fighter jets and a frigate to patrol the Mediterranean and Baltic seas, but that it could do more in Eastern Europe.

“We are very grateful for the contributions from Canada, which we already received, but we would welcome more,” Stoltenberg told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He also made a personal pitch for soldiers during a telephone call to Canadian Minister of Defense Harjit Sajjan, the CBC reported.

Canadian media reports indicate that U.S. President Barack Obama has been pressing Canada to join a four-country, 4,000 strong NATO rapid response team.

The fear, based on the Crimea takeover by Russia, is a Russian encroachment into other countries such as Poland, the CBC reported.

Next week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will fly to Poland for a NATO Summit.

At some point before the meeting, he is expected to formally announce that Canadian troops will join their U.S., British and German counterparts in the NATO rapid response force before.

The new mobile contingent of 4,000 will be added to a 40,000-soldier contingent NATO has in the area.