Military power of BRICS & Latvia

BRICS (acronym - Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) is a grouping of the world economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Bilateral relations among BRICS are conducted mainly on the basis of non-interference, equality, and mutual benefit. The BRICS nations are considered a geopolitical rival to the G7 bloc.

On August 24, 2023, the expansion of the group on January 1, 2024 was announced to include Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. On 29 December 2023 the Government of Argentina officially announce that Argentina will not join the BRICS. This is due to the change of president to Javier Milei.

Latvia is a country located in Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania, with an area of 64,589 km² (land boundries: 1,370 km and costline 498 km). The capital of Latvia is Riga. The number of inhabitants is 1,842,226.

Republic of Latvia joined NATO end European Union in 2004. The Latvian military has participated in NATO and EU missions abroad and regularly conducts training and exercises. Latvia hosts NATO partner forces. North Atlantic Alliance has provided air protection for Latvia since 2004 through its Baltics Air Policing mission. Latvia is a member of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a pool of high-readiness military forces from 10 Baltic and Scandinavian countries. The Latvian military's inventory consists of a mix of European and US equipment