Strategic Assurance and Signaling in the Baltics
Abstract
What show of force methods such as Bomber Assurance and Deterrence missions, joint exercises, US forces deployments, or joint operations provide the most strategic assurance in the Baltic region? Assurance is not new. However, because of a changing security environment, there needs to be a departure from traditional nuclear umbrella assurance and a push toward tailored strategic assurance that employs all methods of national power to message a specific audience at a specific time in a specific scenario. The three Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were all occupied by the former Soviet Union and are today surrounded by Russian territory and facing a resurgence of Russian military capability, both conventional and nuclear. Prior to recent Russian aggression across the region, the United States drew down dramatically in Europe after the Cold War, signaled their pivot to the Pacific, and has not modernized military capability in the region at the rate Russia has. Working to reverse this trend, the U.S. is pursuing recent efforts to assure the Baltic states and message to them that they will not stand alone in future conflicts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 06, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1038066
Entities
People
- Eric C. Paulson
Organizations
- Air War College