“The Baltic states have punched above their weight when it comes to supporting Ukraine. All that sends the right signals to the United States and the other counties that Lithuania and its neighbors are fully behind the NATO alliance and are willing also to share in the commitments and I think it is very important for all of us,” said former U.S. Secretary of Defense during his visit in Vilnius this week.
M. Esper was the keynote speaker at the Baltic Military Conference in Vilnius on March 23, delivered a lecture to cadets at the General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania before that, met with Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas and other leaders of the country. President Gitanas Nausėda presented to M.Esper a state award for his personal dedication to the security of our region while in office as Secretary of Defense in 2019-2020.
The former Chief of the Pentagon says the changed security situation requires the Baltic states to have a enhanced U.S. presence and to continue strengthening their own military capabilities.
“Lithuania and the other Baltic states have shown us the importance of courage and resolve and the willingness to defend their sovereignty and their freedom, that’s the first most important thing. But then second is to of course to continue to make investments into your own defensive capability and capacity so that you can deter the Russian aggression,” asserts M. Esper.
According to him, the full-scale military invasion Russia launched in Ukraine has shown that the Ukrainians were steadfast in their resolve about the sovereignty of their country and that means the Western democracies will stand with them until victory.
“This war has taught us a lot. We have learned that our small partners have enough of resolve, courage and skills to fight a bigger enemy. The resolve of the Ukrainians to defend the sovereignty of their country is impressive. It enables Ukraine to beat up one of the largest militaries in the world and to contain its aggression. I think the victory of Ukraine in this war is only a matter of time,” says former U.S. Secretary of Defense.
According to M. Esper, President of Russia Vladimir Putin managed to unite NATO though his war in Ukraine like no one has ever been able to do in the last few decades: not only has he unified the Alliance but also guaranteed two new members, Finland and Sweden, will be brought in, and pushed Ukraine closer into the NATO orbit.
“That said, Putin’s actions remind us that Russia is very dangerous. Russia is not as good as was hoped for by many. We can not trust them with their obligations, their commitments and we have to continue to refresh and rebuild the NATO deterrent capabilities, especially on the eastern flank, that means doing what it takes that we a sufficient defensive capability and capacity,” says the security expert who is a doctorate holder.
M. Esper welcomes the recent confirmation of the uninterrupted persistent presence rotation plan of U.S. forces in the Baltic states which is a guarantee of the uninterrupted military U.S. presence on the ground in Lithuania. The expert served in the U.S. Army in 1986-2007 to the rank of colonel and was deployed to Europe which gives him a good understanding of the importance of U.S. leadership in the region.
“American leadership is very important not just in Europe but globally, so I think it is vitally important we have U.S., and that means that we have to have a presence on the ground. I have always felt like the U.S. forces should have moved east after the Cold War, following the movement of the expansion of our Alliance eastward towards Russia. It is clear that the frontline states are the ones most concerned, most vulnerable to the Russian aggression.
The Alliance only works when you are working every day shoulder to shoulder side by side with your NATO Allies and partners, so it’s critical that the American leadership is there and it is visible and its forward. And you have the UK, Germany and others in the region forward as well to deter any type of Russian bad behavior,” says M. Esper.
The former U.S. Secretary of Defense reassures that the U.S. and other NATO Allies’ commitment to the Baltic security and defence is steadfast, and now U.S. support to Ukraine should grow even more as well.
“NATO’s Article 5 commitment is ironclad. Nothing is going to change that. We know that we are up to our alliances, we meet our commitments – but we also realize that what’s happening right is not just a war between Russia and Ukraine , it’s a war between autocracy and democracy. And if we don’t stop it now, it’s only gonna spread. Which is why if it were to happen with a NATO Ally…. We have to fight the Russians, we’d have to be sure to be prepared to push back and defeat them as necessary. To defend the democracies of the world. That’s the most important thing in this 21st century.”
