Latvia Launches 'Namejs '26' National Defense Exercise — 12,000 Troops Including US, Canadian, Baltic Forces Under NATO Multinational Division North

Latvia's National Armed Forces launched the comprehensive national defense exercise 'Namejs '26' on September 2, 2026, running through October 8 — the largest annual Baltic drill of the year. Approximately 12,000 servicemen, reservists and National Guard volunteers are participating, including units from Canada, the United States, Estonia and Lithuania, organized in cooperation with the headquarters of NATO's Multinational Division North and the NATO Force Integration Unit in Latvia. Activities include increased drone operations near border areas, military equipment and personnel movements nationwide, low-altitude aircraft flights, and live-fire exercises. The National Armed Forces are also running mobilization drills as part of Namejs '26, testing integration of Home Guard and reserve personnel into the combat structure, and working with the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) on situational awareness and collective response in the Baltic region. As with BALTOPS 26 in June, the exercise illustrates the operational-level paradox running through the NATO-US relationship in 2026: US forces continue to train and integrate under NATO's Multinational Division North even as the Pentagon's Europe force posture review — due to deliver troop-level options to Hegseth by November 6 — leaves the future scale of that American presence unresolved.