Most policymakers in the Baltic states tend to see their countries' relationship with the United States as the ultimate guarantor of their security against pressure or possible threats from Russia. For example, they have worked closely with the United States in Afghanistan, where the three Baltic states have contributed troops to NATO-led missions since During the th Congress, the Senate adopted a resolution S.
European Deterrence Initiative ," below. The United States provides significant security assistance to its Baltic partners. According to the State Department, as of July , U. Since , the Baltic states have participated in the U. National Guard State Partnership Program. Under the program, Estonia's armed forces partner with units from the Maryland National Guard, Latvia's armed forces partner with the Michigan National Guard, and Lithuania's armed forces partner with the Pennsylvania National Guard.
In , the United States signed separate bilateral defense cooperation agreements with each of the Baltic states. The agreements enhanced defense cooperation by building on the NATO Status of Forces Agreement to provide a more specific legal framework for the in-country presence and activities of U.
In November , the United States and the three Baltic states agreed to develop bilateral defense cooperation strategic road maps focusing on specific areas of security cooperation for the period In April , the United States and Lithuania signed a road map agreeing to strengthen cooperation in training, exercises, and multilateral operations; improve maritime domain awareness in the Baltic Sea; improve regional intelligence-sharing, surveillance, and early warning capabilities; and build cybersecurity capabilities.
The act also requires the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State to jointly conduct a comprehensive assessment of the military requirements necessary to deter and resist Russian aggression in the region. The committee report S. A sense of Congress resolution introduced in the House of Representatives H. Officials in the Baltic region have noted with concern what they view as increasing signs of Russian foreign policy assertiveness.
These signs include a buildup of Russian forces in the region, large-scale military exercises, and incursions by Russian military aircraft into Baltic states' airspace. Unlike Georgia and Ukraine, the Baltic states are members of NATO, and many observers contend the alliance's Article 5 collective defense guarantee limits potential Russian aggression in the Baltic region.
Nevertheless, imposing various kinds of pressure on the Baltic states enables Russia to test NATO solidarity and credibility. Defense experts assert that Russian forces stationed near the Baltic region, including surface ships, submarines, and advanced S air defense systems, could "allow [Russia] to effectively close off the Baltic Sea and skies to NATO reinforcements. Kaliningrad, a 5,square-mile Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea located between Poland and Lithuania, is a key strategic territory for Russia, allowing the country to project military power into NATO's northern flank see Figure 1.
The territory has a heavy Russian military presence, including the Baltic Fleet and two airbases. Russia has repeatedly deployed Iskander short-range nuclear-capable missiles in Kaliningrad, and reports indicate that a new deployment in could be permanent. The breakup of the Soviet Union left the Baltic states with virtually no national militaries, and their forces remain small and limited see Table 1.
The Baltic states' defense planning consequently relies heavily on NATO membership, and these states have emphasized active participation in the alliance through measures such as contributing troops to NATO's mission in Afghanistan. In the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and renewed concerns about Russia, the Baltic states have significantly increased their defense budgets and sought to acquire new military capabilities. Lithuania has the largest military of the three Baltic states, with 19, total active duty personnel in After abolishing conscription in , Lithuania reintroduced compulsory military service in due to concerns about Russia, a move that brings 3, personnel to the armed forces per year.
Estonia has compulsory military service for men aged , with an eight-month basic term of conscripted service. Latvia's armed forces total 6, active personnel. Table 1. Baltic States Defense Information. The United States has not increased its permanent troop presence in Europe about 67, troops, including two U. Instead, it has focused on rotating additional forces into the region, including nine-month deployments of a third BCT based in the United States. At the NATO Summit in Warsaw, the alliance agreed to deploy battalion-sized approximately 1,, troops multinational battle groups to Poland and each of the three Baltic states see Figure 2.
Figure 2. Germany leads the multinational battalion in Lithuania, with troop contributions from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Iceland, the Netherlands, and Norway.
NATO continues to resist calls to deploy troops permanently in countries that joined the alliance after the collapse of the Soviet Union due to concerns in some member states that doing so could violate the terms of the NATO-Russia Founding Act. The mission originally consisted of rotating four-month deployments of four aircraft. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in , deployments increased to 8 to 12 aircraft at a time.
The Baltic states contribute to mission costs, including by providing ground services for the aircraft and supplying aviation fuel.
In recent years, tensions between Russia and the Baltic states have been exacerbated by reciprocal accusations of spying; illicit cyber activity, including the hacking of Baltic states' government websites; and a Russian propaganda offensive directed at Russian speakers in the Baltic states.
Baltic states' support for EU sanctions on Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine also has exacerbated tensions, as have Russian retaliatory sanctions targeting agricultural products. Many observers have expressed concerns about Russia targeting the Baltic states with hybrid warfare tactics, such as those it has used in Ukraine. The presence of a large ethnic Russian population in the Baltic states is a factor in these concerns, especially given that Russian claims of persecution against Russian communities were part of Russia's pretext for intervention in Ukraine.
According to statements by Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, one of the central principles of Russian foreign policy is acting as the defender and guarantor of the rights of Russian-speaking people wherever they live.
Russia routinely accuses Estonia and Latvia of violating the human rights of Russian-speaking minorities by discriminating against the Russian language in official usage. Additionally, approximately 55, Russian citizens live in Latvia and 89, Russian citizens live in Estonia.
Many in the ethnic Russian community receive their news primarily from Russian-language television and newspapers, and Russian media dominates the information market in Russian-speaking regions. Analysts have documented how Russia uses traditional media e.
Russian outlets repeatedly have sought to stir up opposition to NATO deployments in the region by fabricating stories of criminal activity by deployed NATO soldiers. There is no movement among Russian-speaking communities in the Baltic states advocating absorption by Russia, and survey data indicate that these communities are not a unified, homogenous group in terms of how they view competing political narratives. Vulnerability to potential cyberattacks is a primary concern for the Baltic states.
Large declines following independence Within two years of the revolution all three countries became independent from the Soviet Union, and this change coincides with the drops in population of all three countries. By the populations of each country had dropped, and at a faster rate in Estonia and Latvia than in Lithuania. This decline has continued for the past 30 years, with the numbers falling at every five year interval for each country.
By , Estonia's population will have dropped by almost thousand people, Latvia's by over thousand, and Lithuania's by almost one million. The fall of the Soviet Union, combined with the Baltic nations joining the EU in , meant that emigration was much easier and many from the Baltics went to Western Europe in search of work. Along with a declining natural birth rate, the populations of each country have been in steady decline and this trend is expected to continue into the next few decades, although new figures do suggest some growth for Estonia.
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Other statistics on the topic. Demographics Population in Africa , by country. The celebration of the mid-summer solstice is one of the most important holidays on the calendar, and all three countries basically shut down for two days. People go to the countryside, where they build bonfires and sing songs until late in the night. The natural splendor of the Baltic countries was endangered by pollution and development in the Soviet period, but now environmental protection is a high priority.
The traditional economies of the Baltic countries were based on timber, dairy products, and agriculture. These all remain important, but after the end of the Soviet period, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have undergone a major economic transformation as new sectors have been developed in the areas of computer software, electronics, and ICT Information and Communications Technology products.
Of the three Baltic states, Estonia has taken the lead in this process, with its development of commercial services such as Skype and governmental programs related to building e-society infrastructure.
Latvia and Lithuania have also invested heavily in the electronics sphere. All three Baltic countries have developed close connections with Silicon Valley, with many Baltic companies basing their operations here.
To the north of Lithuania lies Latvia, while Belarus encompasses Lithuania to the south and the east. The Russian territory of Kaliningrad Oblast borders Lithuania to the southwesternmost border of Lithuania as well. Officially called the Republic of Lithuania, the Baltic State is home to over two million people. In fact, the population of Lithuania is just under three million people.
The size of Lithuania is rather small, but the population density is about one hundred eighteen people per square mile of land. That is a livable and decent ratio of people to mileage, despite Lithuania only comprising a little over twenty-four thousand square miles. The capital city of Lithuania is a city called Vilnius, and the most commonly spoken language in the Baltic State is Lithuanian. The language of Latvian is pretty high up there on the list of languages that Lithuanian people speak.
When looking at the groups of people who reside in Lithuania, you are going to find that the majority of people identify as Lithuanians. Slightly more than eighty-four percent of people are Lithuanian, while the remaining sixteen percent of people in Lithuania are Polish, Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, and other nearby European countries.
As a Northern European country, Estonia is not a straightforward, singular land mass. Instead, the Republic of Estonia is comprised of a mainland as well as thousands of smaller islands scattered about the Baltic Sea.
To be specific, there are 2, islands that make up Estonia. In total, Estonia takes up about 17, square miles of area, of which 16, square miles are made up of land.
The remaining 1, square miles are water-based, involving both coastlines and water resources on the mainland.
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