Real Clear Defense:

Russia’s launch of around 30 cruise missiles at a target in western Ukraine located just 12 miles from the Polish border came just one day after Moscow warned that convoys carrying Western arms are “legitimate targets.” NATO members are right to worry that Russia’s war in Ukraine could potentially spill over into NATO territory. Russia’s increased military presence in Belarus, including advanced surface-to-air missile systems and aircraft, also puts Poland and the Baltic states at greater risk. Faced with a growing aerial threat from Russia, NATO must deploy additional surface-to-air missile systems and aircraft to eastern flank countries, which currently lack sufficient means to protect their airspace.

A credible air defense capability requires radar systems, surface-to-air missiles, fighter aircraft, airborne early warning and control aircraft, and associated command and control. Sophisticated air defense systems are difficult to afford for smaller NATO members such as Estonia and Latvia, whose economies are roughly equal to that of Rhode Island. Though recent deployments are starting to fill the gaps, a Russian air attack could still break through the hodgepodge of capabilities on NATO’s eastern flank.

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