NATO general says Baltic states are now much better protected

The Baltic states are now much better protected because NATO has adopted a clear strategy, firm action plans and made significant progress on logistics, Lieutenant General John Mead, deputy commander of NATO’s Brunssum Joint Force Command, said in an interview with Latvian news agency LETA, as reported by ERR.

“The Baltic states are now much better protected because we have a clear strategy, the Euro-Atlantic area’s deterrence and defence posture, and clear action plans,” Mead said.

He said NATO had developed new regional plans, reviewed earlier ones and aligned them with national-level planning. Mead described this as one of the most notable aspects of the alliance’s deterrence and defence posture.

“We are developing ways to build military capabilities and methods to jointly defend every metre of land. This is a joint and increasingly integrated effort,” the British general said. NATO is also conducting joint monitoring as part of its daily deterrence activities.

Mead said the Baltic Sentry operation, launched in response to new threats, demonstrated this approach. The operation is important and successful, he said, adding that Latvia plays an important role.

“Since the operation began, there have been no further incidents involving the cutting of undersea cables,” Mead said.

He also cited the Eastern Sentry air defence operation as another example of NATO’s approach. The alliance is working to close capability gaps, integrate and consolidate capabilities, and conduct joint exercises, he said.

Mead acknowledged that NATO’s armed forces were undergoing a revolution and needed to adapt while maintaining deterrence. He said the alliance needed to become faster and should feel uncomfortable about not moving quickly enough.

One of Latvia’s strategic challenges is its lack of geographical depth, meaning the distance between a potential front line and the country’s vital centres, Mead said. NATO is working to offset this challenge.

He said the approach was strategically, operationally and tactically important for the Baltic region, the Baltic states and all 32 NATO member countries.

Mead also highlighted major advances in logistics. There is now greater unity among the Baltic states and better coordination of their plans, as well as closer coordination between NATO and member states’ plans, he said.

NATO is training and testing its plans in practice. Exercises in several weeks will test direct communication with national operations centres through scenarios designed to ensure the alliance is ready to implement its plans, Mead said.

He also praised the level of innovation in the Baltic states, saying science, technology and innovation played an important role and that the countries were leaders in the defence industry.

Mead said he did not see a need to deploy more foreign troops to the Baltic states. Instead, regular exercises were needed to ensure that NATO forces could operate according to plan.