Baltic nations, located up close and personal to the Russian bear, and with long memories of Soviet domination, are ‘encouraging’ The White House to make sure America does not tolerate continued perceived Russian aggression in the region.
Estonia Told It’s No Longer The Darling Of NATO Defense Spending
They are nervous.
It is important that the United States’ position is made clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his regime that Moscow’s attempts to reestablish its hegemony and authoritarian influence over the Baltics will not be tolerated, the American Latvian Association (ALA) said in a media statement.
“NATO continues to evolve and fulfill its mission. We welcome the new initiatives announced in Brussels including the “Four Thirties” readiness plan that calls for 30 mechanized battalions, 30 air squadrons and 30 combat vessels, ready to use within 30 days or less, for defending NATO members,” said the association.
NATO is also creating two new command structures – one in Norfolk, United States, to counter maritime threats, and one in Ulm, Germany, enabling more efficient logistics for transporting troops and military equipment throughout Europe. In addition, it will develop a new Cyber Operations Center, an operational compliment to NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence in Tallinn, reported The Baltic Times.
The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, situation near the Baltics and Poland, makes the Baltic region extremely hard to defend against mechanized invasion from the east. Kaliningrad sports nuclear-capable medium range missiles as well as heavy air defense networks, as well as access to the Baltic Sea. The region, left over from the Soviet period has caused many a sleepless night for NATO war planners.
