Target: Lieutenant Admiral Rob Bauer, Chairman of NATO Military Committee
Goal: Advocate for increased defense in Baltic states.
In less than 180 days, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is estimated to have killed over 100,000 people. Tens of thousands of these casualties were citizens slaughtered while they were trying to live their lives the best they could. This tragedy demonstrates how much sheer carnage hostile military forces can inflict in a short time. Moreover, it reinforces why the current policy of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is woefully and dangerously inadequate.
While the international alliance is meant to protect member nations from unprovoked military aggression, it does not treat all members equally. Some of the countries most vulnerable to Russian hostility—the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia—are part of NATO’s trip-wire policy. Under this strategy, a sharply streamlined military presence is placed in a region with the idea of deterring potential invaders and signaling an alliance’s investment in the region. The small scale of the Baltic force, however, sends no such signal to Russia.
Further, the trip-wire force is not permanent, as it rotates its presence between the Baltic states, leaving at least two completely without NATO defense at any given time. Moreover, these nations do not even have the guarantee of immediate military assistance should they be invaded. The policy enables invaders to do their worst for up to 180 days before meaningful aid is even deployed. As the above statistics indicate, this time span can mean the difference between life and death and stability and destruction for countless citizens.
Sign the petition below to urge NATO to rethink its inequitable stance toward its most endangered allies.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Lieutenant Admiral Bauer,
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda recently created a stir by calling for a significant shift in NATO policy regarding its Baltic members. The president warned that “Russia will not stop at Ukraine” and lamented the “worsening security situation in the Baltic region.” This leader then echoed calls for a new strategy of “forward defense” in which small and insufficient trip-wire forces would be strengthened with a larger and more permanent presence in each Baltic state. Such a presence would show true commitment and enable immediate and meaningful response in the event of another invasion.
Please give serious consideration to these proposals. Russian leadership has demonstrated that it will not be deterred by platitudes or lip service in its quest for power and domination, even at the cost of tens of thousands of its own citizens. As Lithuania’s leader concluded, “if we want to avoid the Third World War, the choice is in our hands.”
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Lukas
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