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Newsletter for the Baltics Week 39 2017

The following information is gathered from usually reliable and open sources, mainly from the Baltic News Service (BNS), respective defence ministries press releases and websites as well as various newspapers, etc.

Table of contents THE BALTICS ...... 3 NATO in Baltics scrambled nine times last week over Russian aircraft ...... 3 THE BALTICS AND EXERCISE ...... 3 NATO allies and partner train in Exercise Ramstein Alloy in the Baltic airspace ...... 3 International military exercise to be held in Latvia in October ...... 4 LITHUANIA ...... 4 Lithuania to build new barracks in ...... 4 Georgian Defence Minister visits Lithuania ...... 4 Lithuania get Russian general’s vague calls to free border guard ...... 5 Zapad involved several times more troops than official numbers ...... 5 LATVIA ...... 6 Defence Ministry to buy several land plots to expand Adazi military base ...... 6 Procedures for allowing family NATO personnel to reside in Latvia to be eased ...... 6 Defence ministers of NATO countries making up the multinational battalion visit Adazi ...... 6 Defence Ministry to coordinate development of national defence and security industry ...... 7 Latvian chief of defence makes visit to Finland for discussions on regional security ...... 7 We must be prepared for disinformation campaigns directed against NATO forces ...... 7 No cyberattacks on state institutions reported during active phase of Zapad manoeuvres ..... 8 ESTONIA ...... 8 Estonia: Norway to join NATO CCDCOE ...... 8 Defence Minister thanks US troops stationed in Estonia during Zapad ...... 8 Belgian aircraft to conduct low-altitude flights in Estonian airspace ...... 8 Estonian observer of Zapad exercise: Observers were only shown some parts ...... 9

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THE BALTICS

NATO military aircraft in Baltics scrambled nine times last week over Russian aircraft NATO military aircraft patrolling Baltic airspace were scrambled nine times last week to intercept Russian military aircraft in international airspace over the Baltic Sea. The biggest number of scrambles took place last Wednesday when the Alliance’s aircraft took off several times to intercept Tu-22 military aircraft and Su-27 military aircraft. Officially, it was the final day of the military exercise Zapad 2017. The Russian military aircraft had no flight plans, did not maintain radio contact with the regional air traffic control centre and had their automatic transponders switched off. According to the Lithuanian Defence Ministry, NATO's military aircraft were scrambled daily on Tuesday through Friday.

THE BALTICS AND EXERCISE

NATO allies and partner train in Exercise Ramstein Alloy in the Baltic airspace On September 26-27, scheduled exercise of NATO’s air capabilities, Ramstein Alloy 6, took place in the Baltic airspace. The series serve to refine C2 of the airspace surveillance and control, air policing and other air capabilities in the Baltic region. The exercise involves the US air detachment currently conducting the NATO Air Policing Mission in the with F-15C Eagles operating from Šiauliai (Lithuania), and F-16s of the Belgian operating from Ämari (Estonia). Estonian, German and Polish aircraft will also train in the exercise; C-27J Spartan transport aircraft of the Lithuanian Air Force will simulate the communication loss scenario, while additional air control and command will be provided by the NATO Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) E-3A aircraft. Overseen by NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre at Uedem, Germany, mission control will be provided by the AWACS and the Karmelava Control and Reporting Centre, Control and Reporting Post in Ämari and elements of NATO’s Recognized Air Picture Production Centre/Sensor Fusion Post (NATO DARS) currently deployed in Lielvarde, Latvia. The exercise is organised by the NATO in Ramstein and NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre at Uedem.

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International military exercise to be held in Latvia in October On 24 September, it was announced that the National Armed Forces will be organizing the Silver Arrow 17 military exercises together with allied forces from 16 to 29 October. On 26 September, the Latvian government furthermore gave the green light to Latvian troops’ participation in Silver Arrow 17. The participants in the infantry and air exercise will also include soldiers from Poland, Spain, Canada, , Albania, Germany and the . A total of more than 500 foreign military personnel are expected to participate in the exercise.

LITHUANIA

Lithuania to build new barracks in Rukla On 28 September the Lithuanian Defence Ministry announced the plan to build new barracks in Rukla, central Lithuania, in 2019. The new barracks will be built on the grounds of the Lithuanian Great Hetman Jonusas Radvila Training Regiment for soldiers of the Duke Vaidotas Mechanized Infantry Battalion and will also accommodate allied troops if needed. According to Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis, the new barracks are needed after Lithuania reintroduced military conscription in 2015 and for allied troops coming to the country. The new barracks, the first such project after Lithuania joined NATO in 2004, will accommodate around 500 soldiers. Seven companies bid for a contract worth 5.5 million euros from the to build the barracks, with the construction work expected to start this year.

Georgian Defence Minister visits Lithuania On September 26-28, Minister of Defence of Georgia Levan Izoria conducted a formal visit in Lithuania. On September 27, he took part in a bilateral meeting with Minister of National Defence of Lithuania at the Ministry of National Defence. He met with Lithuania’s Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis to discuss the regional security situation, defence reforms, participation in international operations and aspects of bilateral cooperation. At the meeting, Karoblis stated that Lithuania would continue supporting Georgia’s aspirations of NATO membership but stressed the need for reform at the same time. “Georgia’s defence sector reform is necessary not only for its NATO integration but also for its stronger national defence” the Minister underlined. Later in the day, both ministers gave speeches at an international security conference organized by the Defence Ministry in cooperation with the Eastern European Studies Center, Eastern Partners in European Security and Defence - Putting EU Global Strategy into Practice. The Georgian Defence Minister also visited the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ Joint Staff. The agenda of Izoria,s

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three-day visit in Lithuania also included meetings with Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius, the Chief of the Joint Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Major General Vitalijus Vaikšnoras, and chairman of the parliamentary National Security and Defence Committee, Vytautas Bakas.

Lithuania get Russian general’s vague calls to free border guard Lithuanian authorities detained Ruslan Peregud, a 21-year-old Russian citizen, on 9 September, after he illegally entered Lithuania’s territory by swimming across the River Sesupe that runs along the Lithuanian-Kaliningrad border. Documents suggest that Russian border commissioner, Major General Panchenko, had sent a few conflicting requests to Lithuania on the day of the detention, asking to release the man. The first letter described the detainee as an ordinary Russian citizen, persuading he had major health issues. Attached to the letter was a medical record, listing Peregud as an unemployed handicapped person. According to the letter, the violation of the state border regime was clearly accidental. After Lithuanian border guards did not hand over the Russian citizen, they received another letter from Panchenko a few hours later, which listed Peregud as “an officer of the Border Service of the Russian Federal Security Service FSB in the Kaliningrad region”. After detaining the suspect, Lithuania’s law- enforcement opened a probe. Prosecutors said the defendant fully admitted to the crime. On 26 September, a prosecutor asked a court to sentence him to 60 days of arrest for the offense, with the verdict to be handed down on 9 October. Peregud remains in custody, with the time of detention to be deducted from the penalty time, if he is sentenced.

Zapad involved several times more troops than official numbers On 26 September, top-ranking Lithuanian military intelligence and Defence Ministry officials stated that the Zapad 2017 military exercise held by and Belarus last week involved several times more troops than official numbers and saw bombardments and other dangerous actions take place close to the Baltic countries’ borders. Presenting an initial assessment of Zapad 2017, Lithuania’s officials said that Russian troops were being withdrawn from Belarus’ territory, but drills in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad continued. According to Remigijus Baltrenas, director of the Second Investigations Department under the Defence Ministry, the build-up of forces was several times higher than the officially declared number of Russian troops. According to the Defence Minister, the exercise involved “conventional actions against states of higher technological level, namely NATO” and were “both offensive and defensive in nature”. “All elements of the Russian Federation’s armed forces, including , took part in the complex drills, which was not in line with statements that the exercise was aimed at anti-terrorism operations,” he said. He further argued that the important thing is that the simulation of an offensive from the Russian Federation toward all Baltic countries took place. According to Karoblis and military officials, the exercise confirmed earlier fears that the Russian armed forces are capable of reacting within 24-48 hours.

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LATVIA

Defence Ministry to buy several land plots to expand Adazi military base On 28 September, the Defence Ministry informed that it is planning to buy several plots of land in Seja Region to expand the area of Adazi military base. In accordance with the National Armed Forces’ infrastructure development strategy, the extent and frequency of military activities at the Adazi base will increase. Increasing the area of the military base will improve conditions for exercises, help create new jobs, and make it possible for several Armed Forces and allies’ units to train at the base simultaneously. The Latvian Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Leonids Kalnins also said that a military equipment park at the Adazi garrison, which the Latvian National Armed Forces and NATO allies will use for the parking and maintenance of armoured vehicles, will be unveiled by the end of this year. Kalnins indicated that the countries participating in the Canada-led NATO battle group have contributed significant resources to the park’s creation. Latvia financed the preparation of the ground, and the other countries provided financing for the construction of infrastructure and buildings.

Procedures for allowing family NATO personnel to reside in Latvia to be eased On 28 September, the Defence Ministry informed that it has prepared regulations which would ease the procedures for allowing family of civilians and soldiers working for NATO to reside in Latvia. The new procedures would make this process much simpler for the families of civilians and soldiers working for NATO to reside in Latvia. These persons will be granted rights for multiple entrances into the country, and will be issued special ID cards which will be registered in the national visa system.

Defence ministers of NATO countries making up the multinational battalion visit Adazi On 28 September, a ceremonious event marking combat readiness of the Canada-led NATO battalion in Latvia took place at the Adazi military base. It was attended by defence ministers and representatives of the defence ministries of the countries whose troops make up the NATO battalion in Latvia. The visit was hosted by Latvian Defence Minister Raimonds Bergmanis and the participants included the following defence ministers, from Canada Harjit Sajjan, Albania Petro Koci, Poland Antoni Macierewicz and Slovenia Andreja Katic. Beside the ministers, Italian defence minister’s advisor Carlo Massagli, Spanish Defence Ministry’s Secretary General for Defence Policy Juan Francisco Martinez Nunez, and Latvian Chief of Defence Leonids Kalnins participated as well. During the visit to the Adazi military base, the

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NATO officials met with the soldiers, inspected military vehicles and infrastructure at the military base, and visited a memorial to Latvian soldiers who lost their lives during international operations.

Defence Ministry to coordinate development of national defence and security industry On 26 September, it was announced that according to amendments to the ministry’s regulations approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, the Defence Ministry has been tasked with coordinating the national defence and security industry’s development policy. The amendments have been drafted in line with the Cabinet of Ministers’ mandate. The new regulation will provide a legal basis for the defence industry’s involvement in the activities aimed at supporting and developing the industry and enhancing the legislative regulations necessary to enable these activities. While drawing up the amendments, the Defence Ministry learned from Estonia’s experience, because Estonia has been implementing targeted measures to support and develop its defence industry already since 2013, the Latvian Defence Ministry said.

Latvian chief of defence makes visit to Finland for discussions on regional security On 25 September, the Latvian Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Leonids Kalnins, made a working visit to Helsinki and met with Finland’s Defence Minister Jussi Niinisto and the Finnish Chief of Defence, General Jarmo Lindberger. The meetings in Helsinki are expected to focus on matters concerning regional security and Latvian-Finnish defence cooperation. “Finland has vast experience in mobilizing citizens and recruiting soldiers. It is therefore important to share this experience and develop a constructive dialogue,” Kalnins said, adding that the Latvian armed forces could take over some of Finland’s experience.

We must be prepared for disinformation campaigns directed against NATO forces On 22 September, Foreign Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Zanda Kalnina-Lukasevica said, during a meeting with the chairman of the Canadian Parliamentary Committee on National Defence Stephen Fuhr, that Latvia, Canada and other NATO member states involved in the multi-national battalions in the Baltics must be prepared for disinformation campaigns directed against NATO forces, which is why cooperation on matters of strategic communication is important. Kalnina-Lukasevica said that Latvia highly values Canada’s contribution towards the strengthening of Latvian security in becoming the lead national of the NATO battalion. “Canada’s decision to undertake the role of leading the multinational battalion in Latvia is a strong signal of NATO’s deterrence and collective defence policies, which at the same time raises Latvia’s security and defence capabilities,” she said. During the meetings they also

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discussed the possibility of expanding cooperation; and the sides agreed that it would be useful to identify specific projects in which they could work together as partners. No cyberattacks on state institutions reported during active phase of Zapad manoeuvres On 22 September, the Latvian Information Technology Security Incident Response Institution Cert.lv, announced that there have been no reports of cyberattacks targeting Latvia’s state institutions during the active phase of Zapad 2017. The institution also revealed that a number of attempts to test the ability of state institutions’ computer systems to withstand potential attacks have been observed lately, but there is no evidence of their links to Zapad 2017.

ESTONIA

Estonia: Norway to join NATO CCDCOE On 27 September Norway issued an official statement on its wish to join the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) operating in Tallinn. Norway is planning to join the centre as a sponsor country, a spokesperson for CCDCOE said. Head of CCDCOE Merle Maigre welcomed Norway’s decision and said that the founding member of NATO joining the CCDCOE will further strengthen the competence of the centre.

Defence Minister thanks US troops stationed in Estonia during Zapad On 27 September, Estonian Minister of Defence Juri Luik thanked the US troops soon to leave Estonia for their service and cooperation during the Belarusian-Russian joint exercise Zapad 2017. The Defence Minister said that the presence of the allies in Estonia is an important guarantee of the peace and stability of this region. “The presence of the airborne brigade demonstrates that we can flexibly increase the number of allies stationed here in a changing situation,” Luik said.

Belgian aircraft to conduct low-altitude flights in Estonian airspace From 25 to 29 September Belgian F-16 aircraft stationed at the Ämari air base in north-western Estonia will perform training flights in Estonian airspace as part of NATO’s Baltic air policing mission. The Estonian has announced that the aircraft are to fly over Estonia in areas of low-altitude flights and will do so at an altitude of at least 152 meters and preferably away from populated areas.

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Estonian observer of Zapad exercise: Observers were only shown some parts Lt. Col. Kaupo Kiis, the Estonian observer at the large-scale Russian-Belarusian joint military exercise at the invitation of Belarus, was only allowed to observe the exercise on four artillery ranges, Kiis said on 22 September. He observed exercises of the air force and the land force as well as anti-aircraft exercises. One anti-aircraft exercise, which he observed, was supposed to demonstrate a fight against terrorists on an airfield. However, he stated that he found it difficult to call it a fight against terrorists, although that is what Russia told the rest of the world.

Newsletter was prepared by Anders Faarup Nielsen (intern, Tallinn), Jakob Greve Kromann (intern, Riga), Jacob Dalsgaard Pedersen and Leah Elizabeth Winther Hamborg (interns, Vilnius)

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