The Swedish Armed Forces have joined their country’s first NATO mission on 7 February 2025. The 500 troops are now at full strength at Ādaži military base near Riga in Latvia, and since this day officially placed under NATO command. The first batch already joined the military alliance’s multinational brigade in the Baltic state in the last week of January, bolstering NATO’s eastern flank against Russia and Belarus.
The multinational brigade in Latvia is led by Canada. The total strength is about 3,000 troops, and includes soldiers from 14 nations, including from Swedish neighbour Denmark.
The Swedish unit is the 71st combat battalion, one of the two battalions of the Södra Skånska Regiment (P 7) based in Revingehed near Lund. Despite being its first NATO mission, some of the soldiers of the unit have served abroad before, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Liberia, and Mali. The heaviest standard equipment of the 71st battalion is the Patria XA-360 AMV, designated Pansarterrängbil 360 in Swedish military service. | © 2025 Marcel Burger, nordicreporter.com. (Press photo of Pansarterrängbil 360: Bodil Böös/Försvarsmakten)