Drink in these interesting images posted recently by the Latvian Army. Clad in their own German-ish digital camo, they have Heckler & Koch G36s and G3s (or Swedish Automatkarbin 4, or Ak4, clones), and the occasional M240 GPMG (FN MAG 58/Swedish-made Kulspruta 58B) and M4 carbine. Rumor is they also have Glocks, HK417s, and Barrett .50 cals as well.
According to Wikipedia (if you trust such things), the Latvian Land Forces (Latvian: Sauszemes spēki, SzS) together with the Latvian National Guard form the land warfare branch of the Latvian National Armed Forces which total about ~6,500 professionals, 8,000 National Guard, and 3,000 reserve personnel. In other words, about enough to form an infantry division.
Formed in 1991 after the country severed its relationship with Russia for the second time in the same century, Latvia became a fully-fledged member of NATO in 2004. Their small arms, much of it donated from Sweden and NATO allies, reflecting the hodgepodge of the service’s nature. Still, you can bet they are ready to use them should Vladimir and the gang start poking too far over the border.
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