Manoeuvre Warfare in the Baltic

NATO is facing a doctrinally contradictory defence posture in the Baltic States, as those countries are investing in a static defence line even while Western militaries adhere to manoeuvrist operational approaches. Lukas Milevski argues that political imperatives and tactical conditions make static...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe RUSI journal Vol. 169; no. 6; pp. 78 - 86
Main Author Milevski, Lukas
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies 01.10.2024
Subjects
Maneuvers
Warfare
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Summary:NATO is facing a doctrinally contradictory defence posture in the Baltic States, as those countries are investing in a static defence line even while Western militaries adhere to manoeuvrist operational approaches. Lukas Milevski argues that political imperatives and tactical conditions make static defence more appropriate than manoeuvre warfare. Politically, NATO’s policy of defending every inch and the Baltic experience of Russian occupation require forward defence. Second, the Russian border will always stop offensive manoeuvre. Tactically, the increasing difficulty of crossing the battlefield intact improves the chances of tactical defence and throws doubt upon the necessity of defensive operational manoeuvre. ◼
ISSN:0307-1847
1744-0378
DOI:10.1080/03071847.2024.2407534