I always thought it's great to cooperate with your closest neighbours like that and I think regional defence cooperation should be much more emphasised simply because if a threat, such as an invasion by a hostile country, or some sort of persistent terror threat arises let's say in Estonia, there is no way that Latvia and Lithuania aren't going to be targets of the same malicious forces. And since there is 0% chance that either of us would ever attack each other or really anyone else, that leaves no significant reason why shouldn't we look at a closer cooperation and even integration of our militaries between us 3 and down the line, potentially look at expanding such arrangements to work with other neighbours too, Nordics for example.
Exactly! In the past, Estonians have already helped us in Latvia's freedom battles, and the Baltic Way also shows that we know how to work together and are reliable, best neighbours to each other. Personally, I have more confidence that if there is an invasion, the Baltic states are more likely to help each other without hesitation, I think also the Nordic countries, at least Finland for sure, and Poland - these countries I have more confidence in than America, Germany, the British. Because historically, too, it has been seen that they only come to the rescue when there is a guarantee of victory, which is also understandable, because who would die for someone else's home?! We need to be strong ourselves, and NATO as a backup.
This is the only way for now. The other way would be for all of Europe to orientate towards at least partial wartime-economy. Unplausibly expensive until it's done, but we have to be ready for sacrifices. However Baltic states have been hit by the war-induced inflation and extra spending most of all the EU/NATO countries proportionally, while being on the lesser half of wealth chart even before that. That's not going to hold us back and we'll be the first to meet 3% GDP military spending this year. Only thing missing here is a heavy industry, as apart from drones and small metallic stuff i won't go into, we have virtually no domestic MIC on scale or local resources for that. That doesn't mean we'll wait for big NATO forces to arrive if something were to happen to our external borders or immediate security. The moral is high and our special forces are constantly at the top bit of international charts. Also, the political logic would prefer - if it comes to that - that in approved boots-on-ground in Ukraine situation, we'd go there before France or anyone else. I personally would.
Yeah, chums , NATO's eastern flank is becoming a much tougher alloy .Our old desire was to have Sverige & Suomi in the alliance. The dream came true! Ridiculous enough : because of the eastern fiuhrer's mad intentions.
The Russians are just being Russians and they are doing what they have always been doing. During world war two and before we actually resisted them. They were led by Stalin.
Oh, yeah, Baltics states needs cooperate on defense and security. What a pity they still do not do so much in this matter. Presented in this video Baltbat, Baltron,and Baltnet are only little tries, they are not enough to do anything real in war time. They still lacks joint procurement, training and cooperation in bigger scale. Their infrastructures also needs improvements. I wonder why do these three states buys so different weapon systems? Why do they not make better cooperation with their closest strong ally Poland. Suwalki Gap could be an issue, but it is only the one land connections with NATO allies. Baltics states without Poland and NATO can not withstand Russian aggression.
There was an attempt to make a standardized APC between multiple allies, named the CAVS programme, mainly led by Latvia and Finland. It would technically reduce costs and make maintaining and using vehicles a lot easier between all the nations on the border with the threat. So far Finland, Latvia and Sweeden have made purchases and Germany is evaluating it. Estonia joined at first, but dropped out soon after because Turkish made APC's were cheaper. Thus it is a slight dilemma where the benefits of the vehicle won't really be utilised due to the distances. Ig that also showcases the fact that some things are just dependent on cost. Though with training I'd disagree, there are major national defense exercises every year here in Latvia with all allies contributing. Tho it's not a baltics exclusive thing if that's what you're looking for.
@@vilnaric3127 Oh, CAVS6x6 case clearly shows that three small Baltics states do not cooperate in weapon making and purchasing. They can not training crews, maintaining and servicing their vehicles together, because they use different vehicles, different weapons. They can little bit training tactics and few staff operation, but in reality they will combat in different areas with different weapons and different procedures. Those issues do not help them to cooperate in their defense and security. They try to do it themselves, only with little help from faraway allies. What cooperation they could execute together with their closest strong ally Poland, when they buy different weapons, equipment and has limited communications, and poor connections. Their defense and security rely on Poland and NATO allies. So, why Baltics states still do not make effective affairs there?
if everything from weapons be the same in all 3 countries that would make for putler easier to invade. but now they would have to think carefully what where to send. not counting what weapons all 3countries have but not published
@@algijura I do not get it. Do you really think that differences between Latvian CAVS and Estonian other type of wheeled AC6x6 will make them harder for Russia to invade these Baltics states? The same case with SPAGS. Estonian K2 Latvian M109 or Lithuanian PZH2000 can make them harder to invade?. Different AD systems, ATGM, small arms, engineering, logistic and support vehicles. All of these different gears can make them really harder to invade? I do not think so. I see only one point there. When Russia will invade and capture these gears, that will make harder to exploit it in their own army. However it still would be issue, when all three Baltics states got the same or similar weapon systems, at last they are not numerous.
@@dannydetonatorI think they mean units that aren't fully operational, but on paper they are. It's typical for the smaller countries, at least in NATO. That a unit is created on paper, with a timeline to become fully operational. But for manpower, material or political reasons, it is never fully assembled. And only subunits are able to be deployed, rather then the whole package. I don't know if it's correct. But as I recall, from my time in the Danish army in the 00's and 10's. LITBAT was one such case. I've always assumed, that the same was the case for LATBAT and ESTBAT. Which is why the BALTBAT idea was revived.
Life in the baltics got so much better after joining EU and NATO. In 2 decades we can see big improvements in our situation , Ruzzia would never offer something that great even in the wettest dreams 😂 I rather die for NATO and Europe than be a slave for Ruzzia
Lithuania and Latvia is dragging behind in beeing a decent western, EU countries so it is no suprise that the Baltics have not had a real strategy how to work together on their own to protect from a potential enemy. In my opinion the cooperation should have started right after independence.
Dragging behind? In what sense? Vilnius boasts the highest GDP among the Baltic capitals, comparable to Western nations. Lithuania has also seen the largest minimum wage growth in Europe over the past 30 years. We allocate 3% of our GDP to the military, with plans to increase this to 4%, while many Western nations struggle to reach even 2%. In 2004, we joined NATO to safeguard our sovereignty. Moreover, the Baltic nations have been outspoken about the risks of buying energy from Russia and have consistently advocated for energy independence.The Baltic nations have also advocated for increasing NATO's military presence on our borders. We maintain strong relationships with Poland and the Nordic countries, especially our fellow Baltic states. I really don't understand what you mean by "dragging behind". We enjoy a high quality of life here. Over a decade ago, we were lagging, maybe, but that has long changed. Unfortunately, Estonia's GDP growth has stagnated and even declined over the past 2-3 years. On the other hand, Latvia's GDP is growing at a fast pace. In the 1934 we formed a political and military alliance called the Baltic Entente to counter potential Soviet aggression. And now we are repeating the history again, collaborating even more. All three are very digitalised and it is promised to surpass some of the western nations in the next decade or so.
@@marijusdovydaitis6920 I want to make clear that I had no intention to diminish any actions taken militarily, but I do no think my comment actually did that. I applaud that Baltics states have taken the threat from eastern aggression seriously and expedited military spending and cooperation with NATO. I also expect nothing less than cutting maximum amount of ties with russia economically, as to not be dependent on them if the war in Ukraine ends non favorably and ruzki empire conquest continues (of course you need to be insane to take any military actions against a NATO member), involving depleting resources in Baltic states, by saying that their gas lines "need repairs" and we have cuts in supply chains. You also have to take in account that Lithuania, and also other Baltic states, by percentages had huge growth in the last 30 years because our economies were shit after the fall of the soviet union. Admittedly, I did not know about the Baltic Entente, but as you probably know it is not valid for over 80 years. But in a case of invasion Baltic states have no system for a joint defense except through NATO, where it can possibly take some time to trigger an action plan, because of course the commands come from the top, even though there is an appointed NATO European commander . To get into how are we dragging behind (Latvia edition) - GDP does not in a straight way increase peoples lives...; Money is being pumped into Riga in an unproportional way. There are very few opportunities to find work in the regions. Schools are being closed, hospitals are being closed in the regions. Average pension in Latvia is 470 euro on hand. We have free health care, that is if you want to possibly wait years in line for the spot. 50-60% of police officers need to work two jobs to support their family, not to mention there are 20% vacancies in the State police (top internal security 👍). We have builders cartels, railroad cartels (both for a lack of better word, but that is actually how we word those in Latvia) + others, who make shady deals, cut costs by replacing good materials with bad ones (google - Maxima tragedy) - corruption in many levels. There are also failures with construction firms to start building the border fence, as far as military needs to be dispatched to help with physically building it and the term for finishing it are just pushed away like it would not be a priority. These are some of the parts we are still lacking. I can go on. I don`t live under the impression that we have it all bad (I myself live pretty comfortably), but these are everyday things that you notice and can`t ignore. So pardon me if I don`t think that we are a fully western, EU country.
@@zin.nesis1 Odd, it seems like my comment disappeared. I understand your frustration, and it is definitely not all rainbows but it is getting good, real good! I am a guy who has lived in two other countries besides Lithuania over the last 28 years: England and Germany. I must say, they are facing even greater risks. Metropolitan cities are full of homeless people, dirty streets, and crime. A significant portion of the population lives on benefits and complains about not being able to find a job. Even companys started moving out. I'm not fully aware of the workforce situation in Latvia, but in Lithuania, we have started employing people from Africa because many job positions are going unfilled. Corruption happens everywhere (I know maxima situation, I am very invested in everything Baltic) every nation has it because people are greedy and you can't escape that. When was the last time you sold something and wanted more, even though you could have sold it for way cheaper. We all think about our pockets and we try to fill them till the top. However, you have to stay motivated to do good for yourself and the people around you. That's what truly matters. Politicians are not going to fix things, we will. There's going to be someone elected every four years no matter how we feel about that. Let's create businesses, let's educate our youth, let's teach people about our culture, let's plant trees, build schools and that way uplift our people. We've known about this issue with Riga for ages. Yes, it is a problem that the city is both a port and the capital, so the finances are not distributed properly. But Estonia has similar issue. Regarding the Russians, they consider us to be part of Western Europe. I believe we are on a positive trajectory, potentially becoming the Singapore of Europe. All love, my friend. We just need to stay committed to improving our society as much as we can. Besides that, look at what we have become. Years of oppression and we managed to become prosperous nations, who have great relationships with their neighbours. I am super proud of all three! :)
7:15 the college still exists for sure - they had representatives at the Estonian Independence day military parade.
I always thought it's great to cooperate with your closest neighbours like that and I think regional defence cooperation should be much more emphasised simply because if a threat, such as an invasion by a hostile country, or some sort of persistent terror threat arises let's say in Estonia, there is no way that Latvia and Lithuania aren't going to be targets of the same malicious forces. And since there is 0% chance that either of us would ever attack each other or really anyone else, that leaves no significant reason why shouldn't we look at a closer cooperation and even integration of our militaries between us 3 and down the line, potentially look at expanding such arrangements to work with other neighbours too, Nordics for example.
Exactly! In the past, Estonians have already helped us in Latvia's freedom battles, and the Baltic Way also shows that we know how to work together and are reliable, best neighbours to each other. Personally, I have more confidence that if there is an invasion, the Baltic states are more likely to help each other without hesitation, I think also the Nordic countries, at least Finland for sure, and Poland - these countries I have more confidence in than America, Germany, the British. Because historically, too, it has been seen that they only come to the rescue when there is a guarantee of victory, which is also understandable, because who would die for someone else's home?! We need to be strong ourselves, and NATO as a backup.
I love your videos. Keep it up.
I can tell you that Poles and Americans of Polish lineage don’t forget that the USSR collaborated with the Nazis to partition the country"
Hope, that they never do
Wrong, Russia (USSR ) were allies fighting nazis during ww2
@@MrSkeptik-z5r Ask George Patton.
@@MrSkeptik-z5r “The difficulty in understanding the Russian is that we do not take cognizance of the fact that he is not a European, but an Asiatic,
@@MrSkeptik-z5r - Gen. George Patton
This is the only way for now. The other way would be for all of Europe to orientate towards at least partial wartime-economy. Unplausibly expensive until it's done, but we have to be ready for sacrifices.
However Baltic states have been hit by the war-induced inflation and extra spending most of all the EU/NATO countries proportionally, while being on the lesser half of wealth chart even before that. That's not going to hold us back and we'll be the first to meet 3% GDP military spending this year. Only thing missing here is a heavy industry, as apart from drones and small metallic stuff i won't go into, we have virtually no domestic MIC on scale or local resources for that. That doesn't mean we'll wait for big NATO forces to arrive if something were to happen to our external borders or immediate security. The moral is high and our special forces are constantly at the top bit of international charts. Also, the political logic would prefer - if it comes to that - that in approved boots-on-ground in Ukraine situation, we'd go there before France or anyone else. I personally would.
Very interesting!
Yeah, chums , NATO's eastern flank is becoming a much tougher alloy .Our old desire was to have Sverige & Suomi in the alliance. The dream came true! Ridiculous enough : because of the eastern fiuhrer's mad intentions.
Which were?
The Russians are just being Russians and they are doing what they have always been doing. During world war two and before we actually resisted them. They were led by Stalin.
Thanks! Keep it up!
3:30 cursed Lithuania flag
😅😂😂
Damn, I really can't escape the name Geoff.
Oh, yeah, Baltics states needs cooperate on defense and security. What a pity they still do not do so much in this matter. Presented in this video Baltbat, Baltron,and Baltnet are only little tries, they are not enough to do anything real in war time. They still lacks joint procurement, training and cooperation in bigger scale. Their infrastructures also needs improvements.
I wonder why do these three states buys so different weapon systems? Why do they not make better cooperation with their closest strong ally Poland.
Suwalki Gap could be an issue, but it is only the one land connections with NATO allies.
Baltics states without Poland and NATO can not withstand Russian aggression.
There was an attempt to make a standardized APC between multiple allies, named the CAVS programme, mainly led by Latvia and Finland. It would technically reduce costs and make maintaining and using vehicles a lot easier between all the nations on the border with the threat. So far Finland, Latvia and Sweeden have made purchases and Germany is evaluating it. Estonia joined at first, but dropped out soon after because Turkish made APC's were cheaper. Thus it is a slight dilemma where the benefits of the vehicle won't really be utilised due to the distances.
Ig that also showcases the fact that some things are just dependent on cost.
Though with training I'd disagree, there are major national defense exercises every year here in Latvia with all allies contributing. Tho it's not a baltics exclusive thing if that's what you're looking for.
@@vilnaric3127 Oh, CAVS6x6 case clearly shows that three small Baltics states do not cooperate in weapon making and purchasing. They can not training crews, maintaining and servicing their vehicles together, because they use different vehicles, different weapons.
They can little bit training tactics and few staff operation, but in reality they will combat in different areas with different weapons and different procedures. Those issues do not help them to cooperate in their defense and security.
They try to do it themselves, only with little help from faraway allies.
What cooperation they could execute together with their closest strong ally Poland, when they buy different weapons, equipment and has limited communications, and poor connections.
Their defense and security rely on Poland and NATO allies. So, why Baltics states still do not make effective affairs there?
if everything from weapons be the same in all 3 countries that would make for putler easier to invade. but now they would have to think carefully what where to send.
not counting what weapons all 3countries have but not published
@@algijura I do not get it. Do you really think that differences between Latvian CAVS and Estonian other type of wheeled AC6x6 will make them harder for Russia to invade these Baltics states?
The same case with SPAGS. Estonian K2 Latvian M109 or Lithuanian PZH2000 can make them harder to invade?.
Different AD systems, ATGM, small arms, engineering, logistic and support vehicles. All of these different gears can make them really harder to invade?
I do not think so. I see only one point there. When Russia will invade and capture these gears, that will make harder to exploit it in their own army.
However it still would be issue, when all three Baltics states got the same or similar weapon systems, at last they are not numerous.
It's probably best not to create paper units.
If you mean decoys, they're overall highly effective.
@@dannydetonatorI think they mean units that aren't fully operational, but on paper they are.
It's typical for the smaller countries, at least in NATO. That a unit is created on paper, with a timeline to become fully operational. But for manpower, material or political reasons, it is never fully assembled. And only subunits are able to be deployed, rather then the whole package.
I don't know if it's correct. But as I recall, from my time in the Danish army in the 00's and 10's. LITBAT was one such case.
I've always assumed, that the same was the case for LATBAT and ESTBAT. Which is why the BALTBAT idea was revived.
When you realise GnATo is just using the Baltics as cannon fodder to save its own skin you will understand, but then it will be too late.
Life in the baltics got so much better after joining EU and NATO. In 2 decades we can see big improvements in our situation , Ruzzia would never offer something that great even in the wettest dreams 😂 I rather die for NATO and Europe than be a slave for Ruzzia
Lithuania and Latvia is dragging behind in beeing a decent western, EU countries so it is no suprise that the Baltics have not had a real strategy how to work together on their own to protect from a potential enemy. In my opinion the cooperation should have started right after independence.
Dragging behind? In what sense? Vilnius boasts the highest GDP among the Baltic capitals, comparable to Western nations. Lithuania has also seen the largest minimum wage growth in Europe over the past 30 years. We allocate 3% of our GDP to the military, with plans to increase this to 4%, while many Western nations struggle to reach even 2%. In 2004, we joined NATO to safeguard our sovereignty. Moreover, the Baltic nations have been outspoken about the risks of buying energy from Russia and have consistently advocated for energy independence.The Baltic nations have also advocated for increasing NATO's military presence on our borders. We maintain strong relationships with Poland and the Nordic countries, especially our fellow Baltic states. I really don't understand what you mean by "dragging behind". We enjoy a high quality of life here. Over a decade ago, we were lagging, maybe, but that has long changed. Unfortunately, Estonia's GDP growth has stagnated and even declined over the past 2-3 years. On the other hand, Latvia's GDP is growing at a fast pace. In the 1934 we formed a political and military alliance called the Baltic Entente to counter potential Soviet aggression. And now we are repeating the history again, collaborating even more. All three are very digitalised and it is promised to surpass some of the western nations in the next decade or so.
@@marijusdovydaitis6920 I want to make clear that I had no intention to diminish any actions taken militarily, but I do no think my comment actually did that. I applaud that Baltics states have taken the threat from eastern aggression seriously and expedited military spending and cooperation with NATO. I also expect nothing less than cutting maximum amount of ties with russia economically, as to not be dependent on them if the war in Ukraine ends non favorably and ruzki empire conquest continues (of course you need to be insane to take any military actions against a NATO member), involving depleting resources in Baltic states, by saying that their gas lines "need repairs" and we have cuts in supply chains.
You also have to take in account that Lithuania, and also other Baltic states, by percentages had huge growth in the last 30 years because our economies were shit after the fall of the soviet union.
Admittedly, I did not know about the Baltic Entente, but as you probably know it is not valid for over 80 years. But in a case of invasion Baltic states have no system for a joint defense except through NATO, where it can possibly take some time to trigger an action plan, because of course the commands come from the top, even though there is an appointed NATO European commander .
To get into how are we dragging behind (Latvia edition) - GDP does not in a straight way increase peoples lives...; Money is being pumped into Riga in an unproportional way. There are very few opportunities to find work in the regions. Schools are being closed, hospitals are being closed in the regions. Average pension in Latvia is 470 euro on hand. We have free health care, that is if you want to possibly wait years in line for the spot. 50-60% of police officers need to work two jobs to support their family, not to mention there are 20% vacancies in the State police (top internal security 👍). We have builders cartels, railroad cartels (both for a lack of better word, but that is actually how we word those in Latvia) + others, who make shady deals, cut costs by replacing good materials with bad ones (google - Maxima tragedy) - corruption in many levels. There are also failures with construction firms to start building the border fence, as far as military needs to be dispatched to help with physically building it and the term for finishing it are just pushed away like it would not be a priority. These are some of the parts we are still lacking. I can go on. I don`t live under the impression that we have it all bad (I myself live pretty comfortably), but these are everyday things that you notice and can`t ignore. So pardon me if I don`t think that we are a fully western, EU country.
@@zin.nesis1 Odd, it seems like my comment disappeared. I understand your frustration, and it is definitely not all rainbows but it is getting good, real good!
I am a guy who has lived in two other countries besides Lithuania over the last 28 years: England and Germany. I must say, they are facing even greater risks. Metropolitan cities are full of homeless people, dirty streets, and crime. A significant portion of the population lives on benefits and complains about not being able to find a job. Even companys started moving out.
I'm not fully aware of the workforce situation in Latvia, but in Lithuania, we have started employing people from Africa because many job positions are going unfilled. Corruption happens everywhere (I know maxima situation, I am very invested in everything Baltic) every nation has it because people are greedy and you can't escape that. When was the last time you sold something and wanted more, even though you could have sold it for way cheaper. We all think about our pockets and we try to fill them till the top. However, you have to stay motivated to do good for yourself and the people around you. That's what truly matters. Politicians are not going to fix things, we will. There's going to be someone elected every four years no matter how we feel about that. Let's create businesses, let's educate our youth, let's teach people about our culture, let's plant trees, build schools and that way uplift our people.
We've known about this issue with Riga for ages. Yes, it is a problem that the city is both a port and the capital, so the finances are not distributed properly. But Estonia has similar issue.
Regarding the Russians, they consider us to be part of Western Europe. I believe we are on a positive trajectory, potentially becoming the Singapore of Europe.
All love, my friend. We just need to stay committed to improving our society as much as we can. Besides that, look at what we have become. Years of oppression and we managed to become prosperous nations, who have great relationships with their neighbours. I am super proud of all three! :)
estonia primeminster give money russia..