Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Russia continues to threaten the Baltic nations both directly and indirectly.
Tensions at NATO’s Eastern flank continue to rise, as Russia is both directly and indirectly threatening the three NATO nations of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
Recently, Russia has filed a complaint at the UN Court of Justice over alleged discrimination against Russian-speaking minorities in the three countries — something the heads of state have denied, while also calling the Russian complaint a “smoke screen” intended to divert attention from the war crimes Russian forces are committing in Ukraine.
That being said, Putin has also recently signed a law authorizing him to use military forces to “protect” Russian citizens abroad. Since Putin also used the alleged discrimination against Russian minorities in Ukraine as part of his justification for launching the invasion, a pattern begins to emerge.
This forces NATO to act, and that is exactly what the alliance is doing now.
Mass at speed
According to two sources who spoke to Reuters on May 26, NATO plans to reinforce its eastern border by creating a brand-new command structure.
This setup will allow the alliance to rush troops directly into Latvia and Estonia if war breaks out with Russia.
Right now, a single military headquarters in Szczecin, Poland, handles operations across all Baltic states and northern Poland. The upcoming change shows just how critical the Baltic region has become since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
By bringing a second corps into the mix, the alliance hopes to achieve “mass at speed,” as one military official put it. This rapid movement is vital because the area lacks geographic depth and remains highly vulnerable.
Filling the gaps
When a full army corps goes into active service, it usually commands three entire divisions. That means up to 60,000 soldiers.
In peacetime, this command structure functions as a skeleton crew. It keeps essential specialists like artillery units, air defense teams, and medics on standby so the alliance can deploy full force instantly during a crisis.
Germany and the Netherlands have already agreed to assign their joint German-Netherlands Corps to protect Latvia and Estonia. Based in Münster, Germany, the unit had to clear a final logistical hurdle before the deal could go through.
The nations faced serious shortages in critical areas like long-range artillery and engineers. The Dutch defense ministry stated that the plan is “currently being further elaborated,” while Berlin and NATO both declined to comment on the exact timing.
Underground war games
Alliance officials have spent years warning that the Russian threat is intensifying. A massive assault could come by 2029. Even though Moscow denies these aggressive intentions, Western militaries are refusing to take any chances.
To prepare, allied forces recently rehearsed for this exact scenario in an unusual location. Several hundred personnel gathered inside an abandoned London subway station to run a massive command-and-control exercise.
The drill tested how well commanders could coordinate 100,000 troops. Planners mapped out a fictional scenario in which NATO forces defended Estonia from a simulated Russian invasion projected for the year 2030.
Sources: Reuters, United24Media, Interfax, Xinhua
