NATO turns Lithuania's capital into an 'iron fortress'

German Patriot air defense systems arrived in the Lithuanian capital on July 8.

The NATO summit is scheduled to take place in Vilnius on July 11-12 next week, while the Lithuanian capital is only 32 km from its ally Belarus and 151 km from Russia.

Reuters reported on July 8 that 16 NATO member countries had sent a total of nearly 1,000 troops to protect the conference. Many members also provided advanced air defense systems, a type that the Baltic nation does not yet possess.

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"It would be irresponsible not to protect our airspace at a time when US President Joe Biden and leaders from 40 countries are attending the conference," said Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.

A US military transport aircraft, a Boeing C-17 Globemaster, landed at Vilnius airport on July 7.

The Baltic states, comprising Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia, were former republics of the Soviet Union before separating in 1990 and 1991. Since 2004, they have all been members of NATO and the European Union (EU).

Currently, all three countries allocate more than 2% of their annual GDP to defense. However, the combined population of Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia is just over 6 million, insufficient to build a large-scale army or invest in modern fighter jets or air defense systems.

That is why Germany decided to deploy 12 Patriot missile systems, which intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and fighter jets, to the Lithuanian capital during the conference period.

NATO member countries are sending weapons and military equipment to Lithuania on a massive scale.

Spain deployed the NASAMS air defense system. France sent Caesar self-propelled artillery. In addition, military aircraft from France, Finland, and Denmark are deployed in Lithuania. The UK and France are also providing anti-drone capabilities to the country.

In addition, Poland and Germany sent special forces units and helicopters. Other countries provided measures to respond to the threat of biological, chemical, radiological, and nuclear attacks.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/nato-bien-thu-do-lithuania-thanh-phao-dai-sat-18523070820185984.htm