About 90 business representatives, diplomats and members of the American, British, Norwegian, Swedish and Canadian Chambers of Commerce attended the Joint Chamber Luncheon with the NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) Latvia representatives on September 22.

An overview of the establishment of the headquarters, the tasks and ongoing activities of NFIU as well as the security challenges in the region and the opportunities for cooperation with the business community were the main topics for discussion at the event.

Presentation was given by Lieutenant Colonel Simon Badman from Great Britain, who was joined on the stage by Major Ilmārs Šķesters and Jūlija Rumjanceva from Latvia, Major Andrew Carrigan from the United States, Major Bjorn Vikas and Major Beathe-Kristin Andestad from Norway.

The attendees of the event were interested in the current security threats Latvia faces and the role of NATO and NFIU in Latvia in providing security for business growth and investment. According to Lt Col Simon Badman: “NATO is fully aware of the spectrum of threats and therefore the alliance is taking very serious steps and the action is on the way to address them.”

Click here to view presentation.

NATO Force Integration Unit

NATO Force Integration Units (NFIUs) are part of the NATO Force Structure (NFS) under the primary responsibility of Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR); they have no deployable remit. NFIU Latvia is one of four NFIUs under operational Command and Control (C2) of Headquarters Multi National Corps North East (MNC NE) which, itself, is a headquarters within the NFS. NFIU Latvia is one of six first-wave NFIUs together with those established in Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania. Assigned specifically to the Latvian territory, with primary responsibility to facilitate the rapid deployment of the VJTF and other NRF elements at high readiness levels in order to enhance Alliance responsiveness. For more information click here.

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