Pray that there will be a time of peace and good will toward men. Seek the Lord and His goodness which is without restraint to those who will call upon Him.

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” 2 Chron. 16:9

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President Trump was coy about his commitment to NATO’s Article 5, which considers an attack on one member state is an attack on all. Most informed observers saw this as a bargaining ploy to get the attention of those member states who have not met the NATO defense spending target of 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). The administration has since reaffirmed our intention to honor Article 5. Perhaps the most relieved NATO members at this development are the Baltic States — Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. If any NATO members should be worried about the Russian threat, it is those three….

The NATO expansion ship sailed anyway. NATO now has commitments to its newest members. The question now is how do we honor those commitments if a real crisis occurs? The Baltic states are largely complying with NATO requirements. All have more than doubled their defense spending since joining the alliance and are expected to triple it by 2020. Each state is projected to meet the 2 percent of GDP mark by 2018 suggested by NATO, and demanded by Mr. Trump. However, in 1939, Poland had a robust military; but it was no match for the Germans. The allies could only watch as German and the Russian forces dismembered the hapless Poles before any help could reach them. The allies declared war on Germany, but it was too late for Poland. NATO’s problem is how to deter Russian intervention in any or all of those states….

Vladimir Putin has publicly disavowed a military solution in the Baltic area, but that line was also used regarding Crimea where a trumped-up threat to Russian minorities became the pretext for an invasion that was preceded by military maneuvers on Ukraine’s border. The build-up to crisis is a critical time for NATO to show resolve. Once Russian troops have crossed the border in overwhelming force, the incursion becomes a fait accompli unless the Baltic States in question have been reinforced significantly with enough NATO combat power to threaten a really serious war. This is the point where NATO is weakest….

To reinforce the Baltics during a crisis, some NATO members will need to craft bilateral agreements with each Baltic state to send rapid reaction forces there before a conflict begins. To make this a truly credible deterrent, the United States must be one of the states crafting such agreements. The composition of such reinforcements must be rapid and significant enough to make the Russians realize that they will be involved in a real war if they cross the red line that is a Baltic State border instead of a Crimea-like walkover. Credibility is the essence of deterrence. (Excerpts from a Gary Anderson article in the opinion section of the Washington Times)