At the sprawling forested Ādaži military base, north east of Riga, Latvia, Capt. Harrison Burrows is one of more than 3,000 troops who has spent the past two weeks participating in a Canadian-led NATO military exercise designed to simulate an attack on the Baltic nation coming from beyond its nearly 300 km-long border with Russia.
It’s the first exercise held in Latvia since the military forces in the country were scaled up to a multinational brigade, also led by Canada, that is made up of troops and equipment from more than 13 nations.
“I would say 50 per cent if not more things that you see here today weren’t actually here earlier this summer,” Burrows said to CBC News during a press tour to the base on Wednesday, where combat vehicles, weaponry and a radar system were on display.
During the past six months of his deployment, Burrows, who is …