"The decision to enhance the Allied military presence in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland was made last year during the NATO Summit in Warsaw," says the government.
The enhanced NATO presence in Eastern Europe is a responsible and proportionate measure of the Alliance and a deterrence to ensure peace, according to the government.
Slovenian troops are expected to work as part of units for radiological, chemical, and biological defense, and are expected to be based near Riga. Canada will have the leading role in the battalion; it will supply some 450 soldiers. Italy, Spain, Poland, and Albania are expected to participate in addition to Slovenia and Latvia.

The expected costs of the six-month mission are expected be 2.8 million euros, said Define Minister Andreja Katič at a press conference. She pointed out that the amount is comparable to other military operations abroad.

The tasks carried out by Slovenian members of the battalion will consist mostly of exercises and training, defensive troop movements, and other peacetime activities, said Katič. "If there is a need for any other, non-peacetime activities, we would need another decision to be made on the national level," she explained.

Al. Ma., Translated by J. B.