Defence Cooperation

Danish-Lithuanian Defence Cooperation
Denmark has actively cooperated with Lithuania in the field of military defence since the beginning of the 1990’s and consists of following elements:

Defence Attaché 
The Danish Defence Attaché at the Danish Embassy in Riga, Latvia is accredited to all three Baltic States. The Defence Attaché is working towards maintaining as well as promoting the extensive bilateral cooperation between Denmark and the Baltic States within the area of military defence. The first Danish Defence Attaché was accredited to Lithuania in 1992. The current Defence Attaché is Captain (N) Visti Salomonsen, who has had the position since 2023.

NATO Baltic Air Policing
Because the Baltic States does not have the full capability themselves, NATO has since 2004 enforced the aerial sovereignty of the Baltic States through the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission. Denmark has actively contributed to the BAP mission by participating in nine rotations so far: in 2004, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. In 2014, the Ämari Air Base in Estonia hosted the Danish fighter jets, while the remaining eight BAP missions have been conducted from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania. Denmark plans to resume contributing to the BAP when the new F-35 jet fighters have been integrated into the Danish Air Force.

NATO Reaction Forces
From May 2022 to April 2023 Denmark deployed a reinforced mechanised infantry battlegroup to Adazi in Latvia as part of the NATO Reaction Force in order to secure NATO´s Eastern Flank. The approx. 750 Danish soldiers were part of the overall NATO deterrence but could – if needed – defend the Baltic States against any aggression. Denmark plans to deploy a new reinforced mechanised infantry battlegroup to Adazi from mid-2024. This battlegroup will likely be subordinated to the Canadian–led brigade.

NATO Multinational Division North 
Previously, Denmark has had extensive bilateral cooperation with the Baltic States through the so-called brigade project, where the Danish Advisory and Training Staff (DATS), stationed in Riga from 2004-2010, contributed to military capacity building in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In 2010, the training staff retuned to Denmark but cooperation continued through the Danish Division. The purely national Danish Division was transformed in March 2019 to the NATO Multinational Division North (MND N) in order to make it available for the NATO Force Structure and thereby plant a new important NATO flag in the region. Denmark, Estonia and Latvia are the original Framework Nations of MND N. The Division is supported by many other NATO nations e.g. Lithuania, who has deployed staff officers to the divisional headquarters. The Divisional Headquarters is stationed two places: One part is in Ādaži, Latvia and another part is in Slagelse, Denmark. The Divisional Headquarters was NATO certified in March 2023 and declared fully operational on the 7th of July 2023. 

NATO’s Standing Maritime Groups
Navies from Denmark and the Baltic States participate regularly in NATO Standing Maritime Group 1 and NATO Standing Mine Counter Measures Group 1. The primarily operational areas of the two maritime groups are in the Baltic Sea as well as northern and eastern parts of the Atlantic Ocean. The maritime groups strengthen NATO’s presence in the region and participate in training and exercises. 

NATO’s Force Integration Units
As part of NATO’s adaptation to security challenges from the east and the south, NATO decided in 2014 to open eight Force Integration Units (NFIU) in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary. These small units represent a visible and persistent NATO presence in these member countries. The primary mission of NFIUs is to foster collaboration between national forces and the NATO High Readiness Forces in times of military-political crises. Specifically, these small units provide broad planning support to facilitate the rapid deployment of Allied forces to the Eastern part of the Alliance and support collective defence planning. They also work with host nations to identify logistical networks, transportation routes and supporting infrastructure. Each NFIU is manned by approximately 40 staff members on a rotational basis. Denmark is contributing to the Latvian NFIU with one staff officer in Riga. Lithuania has exceptionally appointed one Danish officer as commander of the NFIU in Vilnius.

NATO Centres of Excellence
Centres of Excellence (CoE) are international military organisations that train and educate leaders and specialists from NATO member and partner countries. They assist in doctrine development, identify lessons learned, improve interoperability and capabilities, and test and validate concepts through experimentation. Although, the present 25 NATO CoEs are not part of the NATO command structure, they are important supporters to the NATO Command Arrangements. Denmark has been member of the Estonian-led NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence CoE in Tallinn since June 2019 and the Latvian-led NATO Strategic Communication CoE in Riga since 2020. In both places, Denmark contributes with one Senior Advisor.

Joint Expeditionary Force
On 30 November 2015, the Baltic States and Denmark signed an agreement on the formation of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). JEF is a multinational joint military force, which quickly can be deployed globally to the full spectrum of operations. This includes evacuation, greater humanitarian crisis, capacity building, and peacekeeping missions to regular warfare. Besides the Baltic States and Denmark, the force consists of the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland. The JEF should be perceived as a supplement to NATO and the principles for cooperation and potential dispatch are based on NATO standards, which allows the JEF to be integrated into a more comprehensive NATO force. The JEF became fully operational in 2017 as part of NATO’s quick response force (VJTF) and have since conducted extensive exercises in the Baltic Sea including amphibious landings at the shores of the Baltic States.

Home Guard Cooperation
The Danish Home Guard has cooperated extensively with the national defence volunteer forces of the three Baltic States since the 1990’s. The Policy Guidance signed between Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 2015 sets the priorities for this cooperation, highlighting areas such as capacity building, organisational development, education, training and exercises in both Denmark and the Baltic States.

Nordic Defence Cooperation
In the framework of the Nordic Defence Cooperation, Denmark and the other Nordic countries have undertaken a close cooperation with regard to supporting the Baltic States in conducting defence reforms. In 2016, the Nordic Countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which will strengthen the security in the Baltic region by making it easier to access each other’s air, sea and land territories with military capabilities

 

CONTACT
Defence Attaché
Visti Salomonsen
Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +371 6722 3218
Twitter: @DkDefatBaltic