Baltic states sign five-year 'roadmap' with U.S.

The United States has signed five-year "roadmaps" for defense cooperation with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, according to the Pentagon.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander hosted the triple signing ceremony today at the Pentagon.

“The defense cooperation roadmaps are intended to guide the collaborative relationships for defense and national security through 2028 as the nations work toward enhancing capability and interoperability between U.S. and the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian armed forces,” according to a Pentagon announcement.

The roadmaps involve cooperation in “integrated air and missile defense, maritime domain awareness, cyber, irregular warfare, participation in international military operations and exercises, infrastructure development and training,” the Pentagon said.

Additionally, the roadmaps convey the Defense Department’s intention to “provide heel-to-toe persistent rotational presence of U.S. forces in each Baltic State.”