The EU’s East: A Way Forward
March 1, 2021 Share
President Joe Biden’s victory was cheered in Europe as the Transatlantic news of the year, given the strained Transatlantic ties during the Trump Administration. But just one month into the Biden Administration, (Western) Europe’s enthusiasm is waning. This Administration has indicated that while reinforcing Transatlantic ties will be a priority, Washington will maintain its heightened threat perception of both Russia and China. While the U.S. sees enhanced deterrence as necessary, the European Union’s major powers see this as provocative and counterproductively hawkish. Meanwhile, the EU’s Russia policy has been labeled a “fiasco” with High Representative Josep Borrell recently “humiliated” in Moscow. If the EU indeed prioritizes a reinforced West, it will need to carefully develop its own balanced and realistic Eastern European security policy.
By
Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. on March 03, 2021 at 1:24 PM
A Special Forces soldier relays information to his chain of command via radio during an operation in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
WASHINGTON: The bipartisan response to Tuesday’s testimony on Afghanistan and Taiwan shows the Senate Armed Services Committee aims to support both allies, despite calls from both the further reaches of the left and right for the US to focus on its domestic troubles.
The US needs “capable joint forces positioned forward” around the world to defend its interests and deter rivals, from China to Russia to the Taliban, former National Security Advisor and retired three-star Army general H.R. McMaster told the SASC on Tuesday. In stark contrast to McMaster’s bitter disagreements with his ex-boss, Donald Trump, both Republican and Democratic senators seemed receptive.
Could NATO Achieve Air Superiority Against Russia in the Baltics?
It may be a lost cause.
Here s What You Need to Remember: The Estonian study recommends the Baltic States acquire medium-range anti-aircraft systems and an adequate supply of missiles, as well as better command and communications networks. But the more controversial recommendations involve NATO.
The air defenses of the Baltic States are too weak to stop Russia or to protect NATO reinforcements coming to their aid, according to a report by an Estonian defense think tank.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are small, and so are their armed forces. The few NATO troops and aircraft stationed there are mere speed bumps, so should Russia invade, succor for the Baltics would have to come from NATO reinforcements.
Russia Is Getting Ready for a Baltic Region Military Bonanza
The Baltic region has been the site of recurrent military tensions between Russia and NATO. Now, Russia’s fleet is embarking on a series of military exercises, paving the way for the large-scale Zapad 2021 drills later this year.
Russia’s Baltic Fleet is embarking on a series of military exercises, paving the way for the large-scale Zapad 2021 drills later this year.
The Baltic Fleet’s press service reported earlier this week that over three thousand servicemen and three hundred pieces of military equipment took part in military preparedness exercises, partly held in the Kaliningrad region; these included rapid deployment and redeployment drills and “alert procedures.” There were also live fire sessions with small arms, as well as combat exercises with the armaments of the BMP-2 armored personnel carrier (APC) and T-72B3 tank against notional enemy armor. The Baltic Fleet’s naval aviation units likewise enga