NATO's Northeastern Flank
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NATO’s Northeastern Flank Emerging Opportunities for Engagement Christopher S. Chivvis, Raphael S. Cohen, Bryan Frederick, Daniel S. Hamilton, F. Stephen Larrabee, Bonny Lin C O R P O R A T I O N For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RR1467 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this publication. ISBN: 978-0-8330-9464-3 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif. © Copyright 2017 RAND Corporation R® is a registered trademark. Cover: AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis. Limited Print and Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions. The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org Preface In 2014, RAND was asked whether new opportunities for U.S. Air Force engagement were emerging in Central Europe as a result of increased Russian activity in the region. This report thus examines the impact of renewed tension between NATO and Russia on a group of key allies and partners in central and northeastern Europe. It provides overviews of how the climate for defense engagement, especially as it relates to the Air Force, is changing in each country. There are in-depth assessments for nine key countries on NATO’s northeastern flank—the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Sweden—that focus on issues relevant to developing robust engagement strategies for these countries. In addition, based on an assessment of how these countries are reacting to the changing regional defense environment and an assessment of emerging U.S. regional defense strategy requirements, the report lays out a strategically grounded list of engagement priorities for the Air Force. While both politics and resources will constrain partnership opportunities and the ability of these countries to contribute to U.S. regional defense objectives, opportunities for strengthening partnerships do exist in multiple areas. The research reported here was commissioned by the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs and conducted within the Strategy and Doctrine Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE as part of a fiscal year 2015 project, “New Partnering Opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe.” Human Subject Protections (HSP) protocols have been used in this report in accordance with the appropriate statutes and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) regulations governing HSP. The views of sources rendered anonymous by HSP are solely their own and do not represent the official policy or position of DoD, the Air Force, or the U.S. government. RAND Project AIR FORCE RAND Project AIR FORCE (PAF), a division of the RAND Corporation, is the U.S. Air Force’s federally funded research and development center for studies and analyses. PAF provides the Air Force with independent analyses of policy alternatives affecting the development, employment, combat readiness, and support of current and future air, space, and cyber forces. Research is conducted in four programs: Force Modernization and Employment; Manpower, Personnel, and Training; Resource Management; and Strategy and Doctrine. The research reported here was prepared under contract FA7014-06-C-0001. Additional information about PAF is available on our website: http://www.rand.org/paf/ iii This report documents work originally shared with the U.S. Air Force on October 22, 2015. The draft report, issued in January 2016, was reviewed by formal peer reviewers and U.S. Air Force subject-matter experts. iv Contents Preface ............................................................................................................................................ iii Figures.......................................................................................................................................... viii Tables ............................................................................................................................................. xi Summary ....................................................................................................................................... xii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................ xxi Abbreviations .............................................................................................................................. xxii Chapter One. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 European Partnerships in the New European Security Environment ................................................. 2 NATO’s Northeastern Flank .............................................................................................................. 5 Comparative Perspective .................................................................................................................... 7 Subregional Defense Strategy .......................................................................................................... 14 Method ............................................................................................................................................. 15 Part I. The Visegrad Four .............................................................................................................. 17 Chapter Two. Czech Republic: In Havel’s Shadow ..................................................................... 18 Key Background ............................................................................................................................... 19 Relations with the United States and Europe ................................................................................... 23 Relations with Russia ....................................................................................................................... 28 Defense Capabilities ......................................................................................................................... 31 Response to Crimea and the Ukraine Crisis ..................................................................................... 39 Outlook ............................................................................................................................................. 41 Chapter Three. Hungary: Balancing East and West ..................................................................... 44 Key Background ............................................................................................................................... 44 Relations with the United States and Europe ................................................................................... 50 Relations with Russia ....................................................................................................................... 52 Defense Capabilities ......................................................................................................................... 56 Response to Crimea and the Ukraine Crisis ..................................................................................... 63 Outlook ............................................................................................................................................. 64 Chapter Four. Poland: A Growing Regional Role ........................................................................ 67 Key Background ............................................................................................................................... 68 Relations with the United States and Europe ................................................................................... 69 Relations with Russia ....................................................................................................................... 74 Defense Capabilities ......................................................................................................................... 76 Response to Crimea and the Ukraine Crisis ..................................................................................... 89 Outlook ............................................................................................................................................. 91 v Chapter Five. Slovakia: Moving West While Hedging East ........................................................ 94 Key Background ............................................................................................................................... 94 Relations with the United States and Europe ..................................................................................