NATO wants to strengthen defenses of the Baltic States against Russian threats
Stoltenberg outlines new plan for Alliance's eastern flank as officials concede troops are insufficient
Gabriel ThomasOctober 5, 2026
NATO will agree to revise its battle plans to better protect the alliance's eastern flank. This overturns a model that, in the event of a Russian invasion, would have meant the surrender and subsequent reconquest of the Baltic States.
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary-General, told the Financial Times that the new military plan, due to be approved at the alliance's annual summit of leaders this week, will see a drastic improvement in eastern defenses and the focus from deterring a Invasion shifted to full defense of Alliance territory.
Estonia's prime minister has claimed that current doctrine assumes that in the event of a Russian attack, the Baltic states will be "erased from the map" before NATO launches a counterattack to liberate them after 180 days.
"We never share the details of operational plans," Stoltenberg said. "But I can assure you that for decades we have been able to protect countries bordering Russia, adjusting our presence based on threat assessments. We have done this before and will do it again."
The alliance will "significantly strengthen" its defenses in Eastern Europe, he said, promising that Russia would not be able to take the Estonian capital of Tallinn, "just like they failed to take the city of Kirkenes in northern Norway or West Berlin to take during the Cold War".
The new "strategic concept," due to be signed at the Madrid summit beginning Tuesday, would define the EU's goals and approaches for the next decade and a vastly expanded plan to defend its easternmost allies in response to the Russian president's invasion Set Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.
These include new structures in which Western NATO allies such as the US, UK and France deploy their troops, ships and warplanes for deployment to specific areas on the alliance's eastern flank, with response times staggered from the first hours of an attack .
The new approach, which harkens back to elements of NATO's Cold War planning for a possible Soviet invasion, would allow the Alliance's military commanders to know in advance exactly what forces are on standby and how quickly they will deploy could reach the battlefield.
Russia would be described as "the most direct and immediate threat to our security," Stoltenberg said.
The summit comes at a time when Moscow is escalating tensions with mounting threats against Lithuania over cargo shipments to the Kaliningrad exclave.
Stoltenberg said he didn't want to speculate on whether Russia's threats were aimed at disrupting the NATO summit or if it was just a coincidence, but the saber-rattling "reminds us of something we are well aware of".
"Whether it happens shortly before, shortly after or long after a NATO summit does not change the reality," he said. "We have to be prepared."
NATO's current defensive position in the Baltics includes some 8,000 foreign troops - led by Britain, Canada and Germany - to deter possible invasion and act as a so-called tripwire in the event of an invasion. NATO officials agree that given the scale of Putin's attack on Ukraine, that approach is no longer tenable.
Stoltenberg said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas' remarks on defending her country "reflected her concerns," adding that he had discussed "exactly those issues" with her and the leaders of Lithuania and Latvia.
"They were under Soviet rule for decades. They have a history of learning the hard way what it means to be occupied and invade," Stoltenberg said. "I accept that [Kallas] wants more NATO presence and I can promise her... more presence."
Stoltenberg continued: "Our primary responsibility is to prevent any attack on Estonia or any other ally.
"That's why we will make big and important decisions at the summit to further strengthen our collective defense... to defend every inch of NATO territory, as we have done for 72 years."
