9 The Northern Distribution Network and Its Implications for Latvia Māris Andžāns The Northern Distribution Network (NDN), a network of transportation lines to supply and redeploy military missions in landlocked Afghanistan, has been considered an outstanding civil-military cooperation project that has no parallels. Military and civilian institutions and commercial companies from multiple countries have joined forces to run transcontinental transportation chains through Eurasia to and from Afghanistan. Although it has faced different challenges – including political, bureaucratic, technical and natural challenges – the NDN has served both as a secure alternative and, for a certain period of time, as a substitute to the fragile and vulnerable ground lines through Pakistan. Apart from the primary effect mentioned above, it has also had other direct and indirect positive effects, including promoting interaction and confidence building among global and regional actors, economic benefits throughout the transit corridors, and the emergence of prospects for the commercialization of the NDN. This article explores a range of different aspects of the NDN, including its establishment, the transportation lines it includes, the major actors involved, the volumes and types of cargo transported through it, the opportunities it provides and the challenges it has faced. Last but not least, the role of Latvia and the significance of this network to Latvia is also further explored.