Page 6 - North Atlantic and Nordic Defense

North European and North Atlantic Defense: The Challenges Return

INTRODUCTION

The Nordics are responding to what they see as a new situation in their region. The Arctic opening expands
the range significantly of the challenge in what might be called the Nordic Security Zone (NSZNS) and the use
of military power in Europe and beyond by the Russians has changed the defense environment of the post-
Cold War period.

The Russians under Putin are clearly not the Soviets. They are not protecting their Empire in Eastern Europe;
freed from this burden they can now pursue more narrowly considered policies in the perceived Russian
interest. This includes expanding Russian territory to include areas which the Russian leadership regards as
inherently theirs, such as in the Crimea. And this includes as well expanding Russian geopolitical influence
through insertion of force into the Middle East and strengthening Russian bases in the region.

The visits of the Israelis and Saudis to Moscow have highlighted ways in which the Russians are expanding
their practical influence and shaping greater maneuvering room to achieved their designated objectives.

Under Putin, the Russian military has been downsized and modernized and with this modernization much
greater integration if air and maritime power has been highlighted. Illustrative of the change is building a
fleet of missile armed frigates operating in the Caspian Sea which are used to support Middle Eastern
operations.

For the Nordics, the Russian dynamic creates a fluid NSZ from the Arctic through to the Baltics. And in the
heart of the NSZ is heavily armed Kaliningrad which is home to a significant missile and air defense force
which given the Caspian example is part of a broader strategic capability to influence events within the NSZ.

As Jorge Benitez wrote in an article published on January 19, 2017:

The Russian exclave of Kaliningrad hosts significant military capabilities and lies between NATO members Poland
and Lithuania. Over the years, the Russians have deployed so much firepower in this small territory deep inside
NATO’s eastern borders that NATO’s former top military commander, retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, testified to
Congress in February that Kaliningrad “is a very militarized piece of property … a fortress of A2AD [anti-
access/area denial].”

Since then, the situation has gotten even worse. In addition to the advanced S-400 missiles with a 250-mile range
already stationed in this area, in October the Russians deployed Iskander-M nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in
Kaliningrad. These missiles have a range of more than 300 miles, which means they are capable of reaching six
NATO capitals: Warsaw, Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, Copenhagen, and Berlin. Also in October, the Russians announced
that they deployed Bastion land-based coastal defense missile launchers in Kaliningrad. These supersonic missiles
have a range of about 190 miles and cover the heart of the Baltic Sea, threatening maritime access to NATO’s
Baltic members.

As if this arsenal of Russian missiles wasn’t cause enough for concern, Putin’s most recent act was to move two
missile corvettes (the Serpukhov and the Zeleny Dol) from their base in the Black Sea to Kaliningrad. These
Russian warships are equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles, which Putin used to demonstrate his ability to strike
inside Syria from as far away as the Caspian Sea. In fact, the Kalibr missiles have a range of more than 900
miles and from Kaliningrad can reach most NATO capitals.

http://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2017/01/19/mr_trump_the_threat_from_kaliningrad_is_real.html
The Nordics have been playing close attention to the strategic shift in their region. Norway and Denmark are
putting in place modernization efforts and have reshaped their public discourse about the challenges in their
Second Line of Defense

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