Latvia's Defense Forces would not be able to simultaneously shoot down drones mass-launched by a potential adversary, Brigadier General Egils Leščinskis, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of the National Armed Forces (NAF) for Operational Issues, acknowledged today at the Saeima subcommittee on comprehensive state defense.
On Tuesday, the subcommittee, along with officials from the defense ministry, discussed the development of the capabilities of the National Armed Forces within the frameworks of the "Eastern Watch" and "Drone Wall" projects.
Subcommittee member Janis Dombrava (National Alliance) inquired whether Latvia would have the capability to neutralize, for example, 20 drones if they were launched across the eastern border or from the sea.
Leščinskis replied that the National Armed Forces "absolutely cannot guarantee" their destruction, and that even with the development of air defense capabilities, such a guarantee cannot be provided. He noted that the length of Latvia's eastern border exceeds 400 kilometers, and the effectiveness of destroying drones would depend on specific conditions and their quantity.
"We can develop our capabilities and plan how to use them most rationally and effectively, but we cannot guarantee that with a border longer than 400 kilometers, we will be able to stop all drones," the general emphasized.
According to him, if the warning systems of the National Armed Forces work properly, the drones will be identified in a timely manner, and the standby air defense units of the National Armed Forces will take their positions on time, then under favorable circumstances, a large number of these drones could be destroyed. At the same time, he urged to consider how dense the network of air defense units should be along the 400-kilometer-long border.
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