U.S. plans $170M in military aid to Baltic nations

The United States plans to provide nearly $100 million to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for the procurement of large-caliber ammunition and $70 million for training and equipping their forces, according to an announcement from the White House.

"The United States continues to improve defense and security infrastructure in the Baltic region, strengthen Baltic national resilience efforts, and build defense capacity through security assistance programs such as Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and International Military Education and Training (IMET)," the announcement reads. "The Baltic States have together traditionally received about $3.5 million annually in IMET assistance to allow 150 students to attend formal training at military academies in the United States."

The announcement notes the United States this year will lead the Saber Strike and BALTOPS  multinational military exercises in the Baltic Region.

Saber Strike, according to the White House, will include more than 5,000 troops, making it the largest event of its kind to take place in the Baltic region.