Estonian soldiers during Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2010 training exercise. Photo by Sgt. Rocco DeFilippis
News stories in the West contend that Russia’s increasingly aggressive behavior is causing the Baltic states and other NATO members in Eastern Europe to become far more serious about national defense.
There is no doubt that tensions in the region are on the rise, including a surge of incidents involving NATO intercepts of Russian military aircraft operating over the Baltic Sea. The new congressional approval of military aid to Ukraine may well increase the already alarming level of animosity between NATO and Russia.
But the notion that the Baltic republics have embarked on serious programs to boost their defense capabilities in light of Moscow’s menacing behavior is vastly overstated. The military spending of those three countries has merely moved from minuscule to meager.
http://www.cato.org/blog/are-b...