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Edmonton-based soldiers from 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (1 CMBG) largely deployed to Latvia, Ukraine and the Middle East last summer will continue to operate in those locations to the end of 2020.

Last July, 1 CMBG took over as the high readiness brigade for the Canadian Army, meaning roughly 800 local soldiers were deployed to those locations.

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1 CMBG’s largest presence by far is in Latvia, with more than 500 troops operating in an “assurance and deterrence” role via Operation REASSURANCE along with NATO allies.

Col. Bob Ritchie, commander of the Edmonton brigade, in a year-end interview with Postmedia, said local troops trained “with multinational allies in advance of these deployments with a view to resolve or manage some of the challenges that surface with different equipment, tactics and techniques as well as different culture and language.”

Ritchie said Canada, as part of NATO’s enhanced forward presence, operates as one of four framework nations. In Latvia, Canada is the lead nation for the battle group.