Defense minister proposes senior military officer as Latvia's next defense chief

Latvian Defense Minister Raimonds Bergmanis on Tuesday proposed Major General Leonids Kalnins, commander of the National Armed Forces' Joint Headquarters, be Latvia's next chief of defense, local media reported.

Before naming the candidate for the top military post, Bergmanis had a meeting with Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis.

"We discussed requirements for the new chief of defense, after which I suggested recommending Kalnins to the parliament," Bergmanis told reporters.

During his military career which started in 1997, Kalnins has risen to his current position from the lowest ranks and served in various military structures, Bergmanis said, stressing Kalnins' strong reputation as a military commander and experience in multinational operations.

Bergmanis said Kalnins was the only candidate for Latvia's next chief of defense.

President Vejonis is now expected to present the candidate to lawmakers, as Latvia's chief of defense is constitutionally appointed and dismissed by parliament.

Kalnins said he had no plans to change the armed forces' development strategy, as he is one of its authors. The main goal, he said, is to ensure high combat readiness and create rapid response units capable of dealing with potential threats.

He also noted the need for Latvia to prepare for hosting a Canada-led multinational NATO battalion which is due to deploy to Latvia soon.

Latvia's outgoing Chief of Defense Major General Raimonds Graube announced his early retirement at the end of October, although his current term in office ends in 2018. Endit