Defence profiles of Central and Eastern European nations — capabilities, procurement, doctrine, and threat assessments.
8 articles
1,340 kilometres of new NATO border — and the most combat-ready army in Europe
Finland's NATO accession in April 2023 added 1,340 kilometres of border with Russia and the most credible army in the alliance by warfighting capacity per capita. The Finnish Defence Forces' wartime strength of 280,000 — backed by a 900,000-strong reserve — fundamentally changes NATO's northern posture.
Europe's largest land army and its most aggressive rearmament programme
Poland has become NATO's most significant land power on the eastern flank, spending 4% GDP on defence and fielding over 1,000 tanks by 2030. Analysis of capability, doctrine, and strategic logic.
Central Europe's defence manufacturer faces a capability transition
The Czech Republic combines a significant domestic defence industry — producing tanks, artillery, and small arms — with a major capability gap in combat aircraft. Its decision to procure F-35s marks a strategic pivot toward high-end capability while maintaining its role as a NATO logistics and industrial hub.
How a nation of 1.3 million became NATO's cyber benchmark
Estonia's total defence model — integrating civilian reserves, cyber capabilities, and pre-positioned NATO forces — represents the most complete implementation of deterrence by denial on the Baltic flank.
Building a credible deterrent on NATO's most exposed flank
Latvia has transformed its defence posture since 2014, fielding a professional National Armed Forces supplemented by the National Guard, acquiring HIMARS rocket artillery, and hosting Canada's NATO eFP battlegroup. Analysis of capabilities, gaps, and strategic logic.
The 100-kilometre corridor that NATO's eastern strategy depends on
Lithuania sits astride the Suwałki Gap — the narrow land corridor between Belarus and Kaliningrad that is NATO's most critical and vulnerable chokepoint on the eastern flank. Analysis of Lithuanian defence posture, German eFP leadership, and the corridor's strategic significance.
From Aegis Ashore to F-35s — Romania's strategic transformation
Romania occupies a pivotal position on NATO's southern-eastern flank, hosting the Aegis Ashore missile defence site at Deveselu, a growing US military presence, and the alliance's Black Sea anchor. With a 2.5% GDP defence budget and F-35 procurement underway, Romania is becoming a serious military actor.
How a century of neutrality ends and a credible military returns
Sweden's NATO accession in March 2024 brought the alliance the Baltic Sea's dominant air power, a sophisticated domestic defence industry centred on SAAB, and a reinvigorated conscript army. Analysis of Swedish capabilities, the Gotland question, and what Stockholm adds to alliance posture.