There are no fears that NATO countries are unable or unwilling to support each other - Pudans

RIGA - National Armed Forces (NAF) Commander Kaspars Pudans has no fears that NATO countries are currently unable or unwilling to support each other.

In an interview with Latvian Television on Thursday, Pudans said, however, that the uncertainty and polemic brought about by the new US administration might affect the Russian side's understanding of what is going on in NATO and lead to miscalculated decisions.

According to the NAF commander, Russia is actively exploiting the situation and trying to divide allies and societies. It is information operations that Russia is trying to use now, because it cannot sufficiently rebuild its military capabilities because of the ongoing war.

The war in Ukraine is now both destroying and developing Russia's armed forces, said Pudans, who does not believe Russia's public statements about its desire for peace.

Pudans would not predict whether the US would withdraw its troops from Europe and Latvia, but voiced hope that the US leadership would listen to the view of its military commanders that Europe's security is also the security of the US.

The NBS commander admitted, however, that the US may review the presence of some troops in Europe, but it is important that the US maintains elements of warfighting capability in Europe, especially in areas where Europe has capability gaps, such as air power and air defense.

In Latvia, US forces are present on a rotational basis, at times in very low numbers, and are therefore not a core part of Latvia's defense plans, which are based on the country's standing forces, Pudans said.

As for the increase in Latvia's defense budget, Pudans noted that the NAF budget requests are not based on GDP figures, but on specific needs for weapons, ammunition and personnel.

He stressed that the army needs more funding to further develop capabilities that Latvia already has in place, but which need to be made more powerful and sustainable.