In Lithuania, NATO Troops Set Up Near A Potentially Hostile Border
By Magnus Nordenman Read bio
April 13, 2017
Just two years ago, it would have been nearly unthinkable for the Western alliance to set up a battalion here, some two hours' drive from Russia.
RUKLA, Lithuania — It’s lunchtime in a newly refurbished mess hall just outside this small Lithuanian town, and a unique collection of soldiers and officers from Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Lithuania, and the United States are tucking into solid local fare: soup, pickled salad, and noodles with meat. Their conversations are in English and low-key, but familiar and no-nonsense. Such a multifarious gathering of NATO troops might signal a planning conference, an educational course, or an industry exhibition — but it’s none of these. They are here to man NATO’s edge, which since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea has been Lithuania and its Baltic neighbors.
http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2017/04/lithuania-nato-troops-adjust-life-potentially-hostile-border/137021/?oref=d-mostread
