It has been five years since a NATO battalion has been installed in Lithuania, but also in Poland, Estonia and Latvia to ensure the security of these countries which have a border with Russia. The decision was taken at the Warsaw summit in 2016. A battalion is about a thousand soldiers from different member countries of NATO, a military alliance of 30 countries.
From our correspondent in the Baltic countries
NATO soldiers train, mainly among themselves and with local military forces. In Lithuania, for example, the battalion is made up of Germans who lead it, Dutch and Norwegians who all come with their equipment.
All the exercises that sometimes take place on military sites near the borders are only for defensive purposes and the key word is ” interoperability “. This means that the military of different countries learn to work together, to harmonize their procedures. But above all, they discover environments that are very different from what they are used to in their country. In the Baltic region, the relief is often wooded and the land sandy.
painful memories
NATO arrived in the region following the annexation of Crimea by Russia, the Balts fearing for their safety. Five years later, the concentration of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border has once again aroused the fears of the Balts. Beyond the threat to Ukraine, they see in it Vladimir Putin’s desire to undermine security in the region.
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Military exercises will begin in two days between Russians and Belarusians in Belarus. Thousands of Russian soldiers are already present and the question of the permanence of their presence arises. If they stay there, the Lithuanians will be caught between the Russian forces present, to the west in the ever more militarized enclave of Kaliningrad and to the east in Belarus. A large military air base is located in Grodno, just 50 kilometers from the Lithuanian and Polish borders.
A military reinforcement claimed by the Baltic countries
Baltic leaders call for troop reinforcements. NATO troops are there to deter. The more they are, the more the desired effect will be achieved. Lithuanians and Germans are in discussion. The British who command NATO troops in Estonia have also made announcements to this effect.
In the three Baltic countries, the defense sector is also boiling. Joint acquisitions are planned. Estonia will inject nearly 400 million euros over the next few years. Lithuania is modernizing its equipment, considering compulsory military service for all and developing strategies to integrate civil society into its defense system.
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