When, Not If: The Baltics Prepare for War

In the Baltics, war with Russia is no abstraction. Putin could take Lithuania’s capital if he achieved surprise, the nation’s army commander told Aaron MacLean. This week, Aaron travels through Lithuania and Latvia to speak with Brigadier General Nerijus Stankevičius, Lithuanian defense Minister Robertas Kaunas, and Latvian foreign minister Baiba Braže about why Lithuania is amending its constitution to allow weapons of mass destruction on its soil, what schoolchildren are learning in their war-preparedness exercises, and what each country is doing now to make sure they’re ready if war comes. 02:58 — Brig. Gen. Nerijus Stankevičius 04:25 — Russia Could Take Vilnius 06:03 — How Lithuania Would Fight 09:58 — “Never Again” 14:14 — Robertas Kaunas, Lithuania’s Defense Strategy 17:28 — Drones, AI & the Eastern Flank 22:31 — Nuclear Deterrence 23:58 — Preparing the Whole Country 29:16 — A Message to Putin 31:29 — Baiba Braže, Latvia on the Front Line 36:12 — Drones Over Latvia 37:28 — Joining Latvia’s National Guard 40:30 — Russia’s “Sub-Conventional” War 48:46 — What If Russia Wins in Ukraine? 55:54 — Can Russia Be Pressured Into Peace? This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company. Stratolaunch helps the U.S. and its allies move new hypersonic technologies from concept to capability, faster and cheaper. Learn more about how Stratolaunch is accelerating the future of hypersonics at Stratolaunch.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices