Permanent Military Deployment of US, NATO in Baltics in the Cards?

During his official visit to Lithuania on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken allowed for the possibility of permanent deployment of NATO troops in the Baltic states amid the Ukraine situation after ordering earlier the deployment of additional 500 soldiers to Europe.

In an attempt to boost the defense close to the Russian borders, the Baltic states have long requested Washington for permanent troop deployment.

Speaking at a joint briefing with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis in Vilnius, Blinken noted that they’re continuously reviewing the US defense posture within NATO.

He stressed that the US’s commitment to Article 5 is sacrosanct and that they’ll defend every inch of NATO territory accordingly. Article 5 states that an attack on one NATO member is an attack against all members.

Blinken said the US administration is also reviewing its military presence around the world and the possibility of extending the deployment of forces and more permanent deployments.

He pointed out during his visit that an additional 400 US servicemen would be deployed to Lithuania – which has long been requesting the US to deploy troops in the country on a regular basis – on top of the additional 7,000 forces to NATO’s eastern territories, including Lithuania, the US has sent.

While the country was previously hosting a company-sized contingent, Lithuania’s Pabrade training ground is currently hosting about 500 American servicemen and the latest deployment will increase that number to about 1,000.

The US Air Force has also deployed on Thursday F-35 jets to an airbase in Siauliai, where US Special Operations Forces are serving, to secure the skies over Baltic Allies, along with the Royal Danish and Polish Air Forces’ jets.

According to the US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, who also visited Lithuania, where US battalions have regularly rotated since 2019, the US would also send armored vehicles, artillery, and air defense units to increase its military presence in the country.