Ambassador Carwile And Minister Pabriks Open Special Operations Base in Riga

Photo: Gatis Dieziņš (Ministry of Defense)

On November 25, 2020, Ambassador Carwile, together with Latvian Minister of Defense Artis Pabriks, and Chief of Defense Lieutenant General Leonīds Kalniņš participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly-built Special Operations Unit base in Riga. U.S. European Command (EUCOM) European Defense Initiative provided 3.7 million USD for the project. The new infrastructure, which includes a helipad, a vehicle maintenance building, and an ammunition site, will significantly increase the base’s ability to host U.S. and Allied forces. The projects were a joint effort by the U.S. Special Operations Command Europe, the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, and the Latvian Ministry of Defense.