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Photo by Sergent Bernie Kuhn/Force opérationnelle de Lettonie

Also listed as morale problems for the task force were inequitable policies on alcohol, the privilege for only some military personnel of being permitted to travel outside their base, and a lack of “administrative deployment support” for reservists. Overall, there were a large number of complaints from military personnel despite the acknowledgement that their deployment in Latvia was not physically arduous, the report noted.

“The prolonged existence of unprofessional behaviour and the inequitable policies on restrictions and deployment status of CAF personnel have degraded morale within the J9 section and TFL,” Fountain wrote.

The report recommended that measures be taken to ensure “normalization of professional behaviour” and to improve communications with CJOC.

In an email to Postmedia, Canadian Forces spokeswoman Capt. Leah Campbell said that “details of the report cannot be elaborated further at this time as some aspects are still under investigation.”

“Immediately after these behaviours were reported to the Commander of Task Force Latvia, the Canadian Armed Forces began to investigate them, and immediate steps were taken to correct the situation through administrative measures and personnel re-assignment,” she added.

The Canadian-led NATO enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup Latvia was stood up during a ceremony at Camp Adazi, Latvia on June 19, 2017. In July 2018 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Latvia to announce the government was not only extending the mission but expanding it. Canadian troops will stay in Latvia until March 2023 and the number of military personnel would be boosted from 455 to 540.

Trudeau said the Canadian military is in Latvia to send a message to Russian leader Vladimir Putin. “We certainly hope that the message is passed clearly to President Putin that his actions in destabilizing and disregarding the international rules-based order that has been successfully underpinned by NATO amongst others over the past 75 years or so is extremely important,” said Trudeau.

• Email: dpugliese@postmedia.com | Twitter: davidpugliese