"Presently, the Baltic states’ rail and road infrastructures are not adequate for either economic or military needs, which diminishes the overall security of the region.
Transportation, energy and digital infrastructure are key priorities for the Three Seas Initiative, and the Baltic states are major beneficiaries. Projects receive funding from member states and the EU, and in February of 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the US would pledge up to $1 billion towards the initiative to support US allies’ efforts to counter Russian and Chinese pressure and influence. The Trump administration has been a vocal supporter of the initiative in light of the strategic significance of Central and Eastern Europe amid a reemergent great power competition. The Rail Baltica and Via Baltica projects, which connect the Baltic states along a north-south route with the rest of Europe, are priority projects for the initiative.
Improvements to the Via Baltica highway route and the construction of Rail Baltica will not only improve flows of goods and people between Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia themselves, but also bring the three countries closer to continental Europe. Widening the Via Baltica highway and improving intersections within cities and along city bypasses will facilitate faster and safer freight and passenger transport, while Rail Baltica diversifies options for said transport. In so doing, the Baltic countries will be more economically interconnected with the West and will be less reliant on the whims of Russia in the rail sector. For example, Russia may refuse to send spare parts for technologies of Russian/Soviet origin, and already seeks to bypass the Baltic states’ railways for export of goods west, which has resulted in major losses of cargo volume and personnel layoffs. More broadly, the Baltic states will be more resilient in the face of hybrid attacks from Russia targeting their economies. By extension, greater economic security will make Baltic society more resilient in the face of information warfare, as well.
In a crisis scenario, this region and its infrastructure will be critical to maintain a supply line to the Baltics. Wider roads and the existence of a north-south railway line will provide quicker and higher volume flows of troops and equipment to resupply the NATO enhanced forward presence (eFP) battalions already present in the Baltics in the event of conflict with Russia. Indeed, successive NATO summits have acknowledged that rail infrastructure is critical to ensuring rapid mobilization of large and heavy military units across Europe. This capability is the key to the eFP battalions’ credibility as a deterrent. Given the Baltic states’ geography vis-à-vis NATO and Russia, logistics is a key problem for the allies, and any improvements that will enable faster response will greatly improve the security situation in the region.
The status quo of current Baltic road and rail infrastructure is not sustainable for either economic or military security. The lack of a north-south railway line forces freight and passenger traffic onto a highway system that cannot accommodate the volume of demand, and it would be difficult to send troops and heavy equipment along that route efficiently in war-time. By undertaking road improvement projects along the critical Via Baltica route and pushing forward with Rail Baltica, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are investing in their economic and military security alike."
https://www.fpri.org/article/2020/04/th
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