Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Friday, October 02, 2026

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are intensifying military and civilian preparations for a possible Russian attack as uncertainty grows over future U.S. support for NATO, according to an exclusive report by The Atlantic.

The report described military exercises, rising defense spending and broader preparations across the Baltic states, where governments and communities are planning for scenarios ranging from limited Russian incursions to a wider conflict.

More

Comments

Admin's note: Participants in this discussion must follow the site's moderation policy. Profanity will be filtered. Abusive conduct is not allowed.

"The Atlantic said uncertainty over Washington's commitment to NATO has added to security concerns in the Baltics.

Trump has repeatedly discussed the possibility of taking the U.S. out of NATO. During his 2024 campaign, he said Russia could do "whatever the hell they want" to alliance members that failed to meet defense spending expectations.

This year, he threatened to take control of Greenland, a self-governing territory of NATO member Denmark, and later described NATO as a "paper tiger" after European allies declined to participate in his war against Iran.

Former NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg was asked by The Atlantic earlier this year whether he was confident Trump would defend the Baltic states against a Russian attack.

"We base our security on that," Stoltenberg responded."

original paywalled article
www.theatlantic.com

video version from EnforcerNews
www.youtube.com

#1 | Posted by Corky at 2026-10-02 10:27 PM | Reply

US Marines deploy to Baltic Sea region for NATO's Baltic Sentry mission

Personnel from the United States Marine Corps are being redirected to the Baltic Sea region as part of NATO's enhanced vigilance activity Baltic Sentry.

The marines will number around 50 and will aid in supporting and protecting critical undersea infrastructure, the Pentagon has announced.

The personnel come from the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

They are to operate alongside Finland's Coastal Brigade, providing advanced expeditionary surveillance and tactical reconnaissance capabilities.

"Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Daniel Shipley, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, said the operational design was a premium example of European allies leading regional maritime security while the US provides specialized capabilities.

Our participation in Baltic Sentry demonstrates the dynamic agility of the Marine Corps to rapidly project specialized capabilities where they are most effective," he said.

"Working side by side with our Finnish allies strengthens our collective readiness, ensuring we can operate seamlessly as a cohesive, lethal team to deter hybrid threats in the Baltic littoral."

news.err.ee

;;

Well, at least until DJT hears about what Shipley said, when he'll be made part of the 20 percent of Kegsbreath's cuts.

#2 | Posted by Corky at 2026-10-02 10:48 PM | Reply

Related ...

Moldova summons Russian envoy over drone, missile incursions
english.alarabiya.net

... Moldova on Saturday summoned the Russian ambassador after what it said were the latest incursions by missiles and drones into its airspace from the war in neighboring Ukraine.

It was the second time in a few days that Moldova has called in the Russian envoy, as it faces a surge in airspace violations.

For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Officials said the latest incursion saw five drones and missiles cross into Moldova and explode near settlements, causing some damage but no casualties.

The foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador and urged Moscow to prevent such incidents, according to a statement.

Pro-EU President Maia Sandu said the incidents showed Russia's war in Ukraine was "reaching Moldova."

"Moscow is putting lives at risk across Europe and must be stopped," she posted on X.

The government says there have been dozens of incursions this year by Russian and Iranian-made missiles and drones.

It has had to repeatedly close its airspace, and warned the incidents were endangering aviation security. ...


#3 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-10-03 08:10 PM | Reply

@#3

Like a frog in a pot of water slowly being heated to boiling, Pres Putin seems to be slowly raising the level of his attacks against Europe.

The question that lingers out there, like an unclaimed air-biscuit, ... at what point do these ~probes~ spill over to NATO (Moldova is not a NATO member) and at what point does NATO respond?

#4 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-10-03 08:16 PM | Reply

The following HTML tags are allowed in comments: a href, b, i, p, br, ul, ol, li and blockquote. Others will be stripped out. Participants in this discussion must follow the site's moderation policy. Profanity will be filtered. Abusive conduct is not allowed.

Anyone can join this site and make comments. To post this comment, you must sign it with your Drudge Retort username. If you can't remember your username or password, use the lost password form to request it.
Username:
Password:

Home | Breaking News | Comments | User Blogs | Stats | Back Page | RSS Feed | RSS Spec | DMCA Compliance | Privacy

Drudge Retort