Monday, April 08, 2019

Shield and Sword

America has deployed Reaper drones to Poland, where they will keep an eye on Russia's Kaliningrad exclave sandwiched between Poland, Lithuania, and the Baltic Sea.

That's good:

The MQ-9s stationed in Poland will assist Poland in keeping an eye on Russian forces that often operate close to the 210 kilometer long border the two nations share (because of the Kaliningrad enclave on the Baltic). There is also the 418 kilometer border with Belarus, a close ally of Russia.

We need to keep a closer eye on Russian forces there to prevent the Russians from impeding reinforcements going to Poland.

Plus, I think NATO's first offensive operation in case Russia invades any of the Baltic states should be to capture Kaliningrad.

And you know my view on the importance of Belarus to NATO security. Belarus won't be an ally--and if they tried Russia would likely invade--but with Western support it can decline to be the launching point for a Russian invasion of Poland and Lithuania.