Baltic Times
April 23, 2022

Baltic PMs agree on common goals for NATO summit

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania agree that in the event of a threat, NATO must be ready to quickly deploy division-size troops to defend each of the Baltic states, and that NATO air policing must become air defense. NATO’s military presence on the Baltic Sea must also be increased. “We are proud to say that all the Baltic countries contribute more than 2 percent of GDP to their defense spending. In Estonia, it is already 2.5 percent. Our actions speak for themselves. In this way, we can, among other things, build new infrastructure to host allied forces,” Kallas said. The Baltic states are also jointly developing military capabilities, such as long-range missile equipment.

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Baltic Times
April 23, 2022

Baltic prime ministers propose to deploy one combat-ready division of allies in each country

The Baltic prime minister propose to deploy one combat-ready division of allies in each country.

The three prime ministers said in a joint statement that at the upcoming NATO summit in Madrid they will try to approve the next NATO strategic concept and strengthen NATO long-term deterrence and defense solutions and NATO eastern flank.

In order to prevent any possibility for aggression, the Baltic states need modern permanent defense solutions, which require larger land, air and marine forces presence.

In order to ensure permanent presence of allies in the Baltic states, three combat-ready divisions – one in each Baltic state – are necessary.

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At present, there are NATO battle groups deployed in the Baltic states. Latvia hosts a NATO Enhanced Forward Presence multinational battle group lead by Canada, joining more than 1,500 troops from ten countries – Canada, Albania, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and Slovakia. The battle group participates in join drills with the National Armed Forces. Also, US troops have been deployed in Latvia.