Page 38 - North Atlantic and Nordic Defense

North European and North Atlantic Defense: The Challenges Return

To be blunt this is a policy of intimidation which we have seen from Russians before, but this time with the
Ukrainian occupation coupled with an assertive Arctic policy and a clear design on the Baltics, it is not just
about Denmark.

It is about a significant redesign of the map and putting Russia in the middle of it.

And to add a point to all of this, the Russians decided to paratroop into the Arctic and show their ability to
paratroop to support their claims and protect their interests.
Only one small problem: they parachuted into the Danish zone of responsibility for search and rescue in the
Arctic without bothering to tell any one. Of course, when one is asserting imperial presence, one need not tell
the little guys anything of note.

And as the Nordic states look at this unchecked Russian ballet for regional influence, perhaps dominance, they
are working together to sort out ways to better protect themselves.

Earlier this month, the Nordic states issued a declaration of intent to work more closely together to protect
their interests, which of course does not include invading Russia or seizing St. Petersburg, named for Peter the
Great, but perhaps will become Putinburg over time.

According to an April 9, 2015 Reuters story:
Writing in a joint declaration, the defense ministers of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland said
Northern Europe must prepare for possible crises or incidents because of Russia.

“Russia’s leaders have shown that they are prepared to make practical and effective use of military means in
order to reach their political goals, even when this involves violating principles of international law,” the ministers
wrote in a joint statement in daily Aftenposten.

“There is increasing military and intelligence activity in the Baltics and in our northern areas,” the ministers said.
“The Russian military is challenging us along our borders and there have been several border infringements in the
Baltics.”

The statement comes amid heightened tensions in Europe since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine a year ago.
With large Russian minorities living in the Baltics, concerns have grown in the region about the risk of Russian
intervention.

Finland, which borders Russia, and Sweden are not members of NATO but have increased cooperation with the
trans-Atlantic alliance, and the joint declaration has been among their strongest responses to Russia’s aggression.
“Russia’s actions are the biggest challenge to the European security,” the ministers said. “Russia’s propaganda and
political maneuvering are contributing to sowing discord between nations, and inside organizations like NATO
and the EU.”

The ministers said that closer cooperation in the Nordics and solidarity with the Baltic would improve security
through deterrence as it would lift the threshold for military events

This includes two neutral states, Sweden and Finland, and a clear target for the Russians is making sure that
neutrality is interpreted very narrowly and that these two states stay in a clearly defined national territorial
defense box, rather than contributing to Baltic and/or Arctic security.

Second Line of Defense

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