NATO Needs to Step Up its Maritime Defenses

Here are a few steps the alliance should pursue at its upcoming summit in Brussels.

Just one day after President Trump told the presidents of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia that he was “proud to reaffirm America’s commitment” to the sovereignty of the three Baltic nations, Russia underscored the proximity of its military might to these U.S. allies with live-fire missile tests in the Baltic Sea.

Held within the exclusive economic zone of Latvia, the tests were only the latest in a long series of Russian actions that highlight the importance of an effective Western deterrent. Alliance efforts to improve ground forces have generally taken center stage in this dynamic, but Russia’s advancing technology and bold tactics are also playing out in and around the maritime domain, including in the littoral environments of the Baltic and Norwegian Sea regions. With the 2018 NATO Summit in Brussels approaching, the Alliance should bring long-overdue focus to the maritime challenges in Northern Europe—and the steps it must take to address them.

Lees verder op defenseone.com