Special secret units will be created in the Latvian army
The National Armed Forces of Latvia carried out structural changes that envisage the creation of a directorate of special operations and special secret units, stated the commander of the Latvian Armed Forces Leonid Kalnins, Delfi reports.
According to him, the structure of the army is outdated and does not meet the demands for developing the combat capability and defense of the country.
The commander noted that the units of special operations are one of the cornerstones of national defense. Currently, there is a special-purpose unit in the army headed by Juris Ušackis.
"It is planned to create a special operations directorate, which will include the Special Forces units and several new units, one of which will be a squad of Special Forces Zemessardze (militia), in which volunteers will serve," Kalnins said.
Such a special unit called "Hawk" already existed between 1991 and 2003. It was a part of the special forces of the Latvian army. A new unit could get the same name, but the final decision will be made in 2018.
Most of the new units will be staffed by Special Forces employees.
"The creation of the directorate of the special operations will be done very quickly, it has to be ready by the end if the next year. These units are very important for defense, but the less is known about them, the better it is for the country," the commander stressed.
In June, NATO battalion has officially begun its combat duty in Latvia.