Telegraph: NATO is preparing for a "battle for the Baltic" against Russia
NATO has decided: they will fight with Russia in The Baltic States, writes the Telegraph. Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius are very pleased with this turn of events, because they have long been watching with envy how Ukraine is "sawing" military budgets.
James Rothwell
The sun's rays break through thunderclouds over the coast of Latvia, and construction battalions of the U.S. Navy (Seabees) are building boat launches that may one day be needed for a war with Russia.
"Pull the tape measure, guys!" commands Captain Allen Willey, head of the Seabees division, while his subordinates mark the wire frame of the future descent to the water. "It's just like playing hopscotch," he notes.
"A veteran with forty years of experience carefully evaluates the 11-degree slope of the berth, designed for disembarking personnel, unloading equipment and ships. The sailors freeze in anticipation of his assessment. Finally, the officer's stern face lights up with an almost boyish smile: "I love this!"
Captain Willy's construction battalion are Seabees, recognizable by the cartoon symbol of a bee with a machine gun and the famous motto "Can Do!", — perhaps it is not one of the most formidable units of the American armed forces.
But if war breaks out with Russia in the Baltic Sea, this construction battalion [CB, or "Seabees"] will play a key role in providing supplies and reinforcements to NATO allies.
The Baltic Sea, often referred to as Europe's "strategic sea," is surrounded by eight NATO countries and Russia. It plays a key role as a sea route for the transfer of troops, weapons, ammunition and everything necessary to strengthen the defense of the eastern flank of the alliance.
It is replete with narrow straits and strategically important islands such as Sweden's Gotland and Denmark's Bornholm, which NATO intends to use to fight against Russia. In the event of a conflict, these islands can become springboards for counteroffensive operations.
To the east of the Baltic Sea are located not only the main headquarters of the Russian Navy [St. Petersburg], but also the Kaliningrad region, a Russian exclave sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania.
Western officials are concerned that in the next few years Moscow may launch an attack on one of the Baltic states that are members of NATO. This will be a serious test of the alliance's ability to defend the eastern flank.
In other words, the Baltic Sea — until recently associated only with cold weather — risks becoming the epicenter of the next global conflict.
The Telegraph newspaper observed the actions of marines off the coast of Latvia during the Baltops exercises, large—scale naval maneuvers led by the United States aimed at strengthening the naval defenses of NATO's eastern flank.
In addition to building berths for boats, military builders also erected wooden Arctic barracks, which can be used as temporary barracks, warehouses or command posts.
About 60 kilometers to the east, another naval logistics unit was clearing roads using C4 explosives to remove obstacles. These skills are considered important for preparing for a possible conflict in the Baltic region.
"We are testing the ability to arrive in a given area, quickly deploy a camp and use this base as a base for projecting combat power," Lieutenant Commander Cody Robertson told The Telegraph newspaper, overseeing the construction of barracks in Liepaja, a port city on the west coast of Latvia.
The Logistics Officer notes that ensuring the defense of the Baltic Sea and the surrounding NATO countries has become an even more important task after Finland and Sweden joined the alliance in 2023 and 2024.
"The accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO makes collective defense and knowledge of the specifics of the region even more important for us," he says, noting that the expansion of the alliance was a direct consequence of the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine. "These exercises will help us better prepare for a possible war."
He adds that Seabees units are ready to build and prepare everything necessary for NATO forces to operate in the conflict zone, providing support for the operation at all stages.
If the conflict reaches the Baltic region, NATO's ability to quickly deliver supplies and transfer reinforcements to the eastern flank could be a decisive factor in the early days of the confrontation with Russia.
Surrounded by NATO countries — Germany, Poland, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and Sweden — the Baltic Sea remains one of the key transport hubs: there are about 200 ports, through which about 15% of the world's cargo turnover passes. At any given time, there are up to two thousand vessels in its waters.
Russia is building up its forces
Earlier this month, the Danish broadcaster DR reported that Moscow was increasing its military presence in strategically important areas of the Baltic region near the borders of Estonia and Sweden. Satellite images showed that Russia had cut down forests to make way for new barracks, divisions and military equipment.
In an interview with The Telegraph newspaper, the former head of the Latvian intelligence service SAB warned that the Baltic countries are much more vulnerable than Ukraine.
"If you look at the Baltic states, we are much more vulnerable than Ukraine, which is a large country with a developed and extensive backup energy infrastructure," said Janis Kazhocins, who previously served as an officer in the British army and then headed SAB.
A backup energy infrastructure is a country's ability to keep the power grid running even in the event of attacks on key facilities or natural disasters.
