Cyber warning for troops in Latvia
PROPAGANDA
OTTAWA • Canadian troops in Latvia are being warned about their cellphones and social media accounts being co-opted, says NATO’s secretary general.
Jens Stoltenberg said the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is aware of many reports a Russian disinformation campaign is attempting to sow doubt online about its intentions.
“We have strengthened the cyber defence capabilities of NATO ... In the Baltic countries, the soldiers are being informed about the dangers of interference or misuse of their cellphones and to be careful in how they use them, so their social medias are not manipulated or misused,” he said.
The Post reported Friday that lies are being spread online about the 450 Canadian personnel stationed in Latvia. They include fake stories that convicted serial killer Russell Williams is still commanding a Canadian airbase, that local taxpayers were paying for Canadians’ extravagant apartments and that Canucks were littering.
A free press is crucial to countering such messages, said Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway. “Our response to propaganda is not more propaganda. Our response to propaganda is fact.”
That Canada is leading the deterrence mission near the Latvia-Russia border is only one of the reasons Stoltenberg expressed optimism about this country’s contributions. “Canada is back,” he said, borrowing a truism from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government and listing off contributions including ships and surveillance jets.
Stoltenberg announced in Halifax this weekend that a Canadian, former United Nations gender adviser Clare Hutchinson, will be NATO’s special representative for women, peace and security. Gender is an “extremely important” area of focus for the 29-country coalition, he said.
A great preoccupation of U.S. President Donald Trump — one area in which he is aligned with previous administrations — has been a perception that other NATO partners have not pulled their weight financially.
On this front, Canada has stepped up its game, Stoltenberg said. Although he had little to say about the Trudeau government’s stalling on a competition to replace its aging fleet of CF-18 fighter jets, the secretary general said members should be increasing their military capacity to match a heightened threat environment.
“When tensions are increasing, you have to invest more in our security because without security, we will not succeed in all the other efforts we want to, like on health or education,” he said. “And Canada is increasing defence investments, significantly increasing (its) defence budget this year and announced it will continue to increase. And I welcome that.”