Minister Kenney announces Canadian contribution to NATO units in Estonia, Lithuania

News Release

Concludes participation in NATO Defence Ministerial Meeting

Canada will contribute Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) units located in Estonia and Lithuania that will support NATO's high-readiness forces, Defence Minister Jason Kenney announced today.

Known as NATO Force Integration Units (NFIU), they will help ensure NATO’s high-readiness forces can deploy as quickly as possible when required to respond to security challenges.

Wrapping up a two-day meeting with fellow NATO defence ministers in Brussels, Belgium, Minister Kenney stated Canada will post five staff officers to the two NFIUs. They will provide logistics and planning support, demonstrating a clear Canadian contribution to the Alliance’s adaptation in the face of an evolving security environment.

Quick Facts

The NATO Defence Ministerial meeting provides the 28 Allies an opportunity to engage with each other as the Alliance adapts to an unpredictable and challenging security environment. At the meeting, Canada confirmed its enduring support to our Allies and partners.
The Ministerial included discussions on the Putin regime’s aggressive actions against its neighbours and the challenges facing NATO’s southern neighbourhood, such as the mass refugee migration issues and terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. Allies reaffirmed NATO’s solidarity with Ukraine and support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Building on the outcomes of their last meeting in February 2015, Defence Ministers moved forward on important elements of the Readiness Action Plan (RAP), which is a package of measures to help the Alliance adapt to the shifting security environment. They also discussed the Alliance’s road to the Warsaw Summit of NATO leaders in 2016 and discussed the situation in Ukraine.
Ministers endorsed several crucial elements of the Readiness Action Plan, including NFIUs.
NFIUs will work in conjunction with host nations to identify supply and transportation routes as well as supporting infrastructure to ensure NATO high-readiness forces can deploy into an assigned region as quickly as possible.
Canada’s contribution to the NFIUs in Estonia and Lithuaniabuilds upon Canada’s commitment of contributing staff officers to the Headquarters of Multi-National Corps North-East in Poland, which Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced during his visit to Poland earlier this month.
Minister Kenney conducted productive bilateral meetings with his NATO counterparts from Greece, Hungary and Lithuania on the sidelines of the meeting’s final day. The Minister of Defence also met with his counterparts from Australia, Macedonia, and Sweden. These bilateral meetings allowed Minister Kenney to reaffirm Canada’s defence relationship with those countries and to seek his counterparts’ insights on shared international security concerns.
Since its inception in 1949, NATO has been a central pillar of Euro-Atlantic defence and a cornerstone of Canadian defence and security policy. The Government of Canada has been a major contributor to NATO operations since the founding of the Alliance, including our most recent contributions to NATO Assurance Measures in response to Russian aggressive behaviour.

Quotes

“Canada’s operational contributions to NATO are undisputed. We have provided the Alliance with high-quality personnel and capabilities when needed. Canada will continue to play its part in support to NATO Assurance and Adaptation Measures illustrated by our contribution to the NATO Force Integration Units in Estonia and Lithuania. I would like to thank my counterparts for a productive two days of meetings, advancing the interests of the Alliance and exchanging frank views on current security issues.”
The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of National Defence

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Associated Links

June 25 – Statement by NATO Defence Ministers

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Contacts

Lauren Armstrong
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of National Defence
(613) 996-3100
lauren.armstrong2@forces.gc.ca

Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: (613) 996-2353
Toll-Free: 1 866 377-0811

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Hon. Jason Kenney National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces Military

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2016-12-14

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Minister Kenney announces Canadian contribution to NATO units in Estonia, Lithuania

News Release

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