Military leaders from the U.S., Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania signed a milestone Terms of Reference agreement while kicking off the new Baltic Sea C5I Synchronization Board initiative Oct. 20 in Tallinn, Estonia that will further cooperation in Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyberspace and Intelligence (C5I).
The agreement and subsequent working group structure reaffirms the U.S. and Baltic Allies’ commitment to improve warfighting interoperability among all parties and across all domains in order to be better postured to defend against future threats.
“Regional cooperation strengthens each participant and carries strategic value for defense and deterrence,” said Brig. Gen. Enno Mõts, Chief of Staff, Estonian Defence Forces Headquarters. “Its credibility relies on military practicalities that provide interoperability for our capabilities.”
“Today’s warfighter is more connected than ever,” said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Chad Raduege, U.S. European Command’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Cyber director. "The need for technical modernization and joint all-domain command and control initiatives will continue pushing us to collaborate even more closely with our partners and Allies."
The U.S. has projects across land, sea, air, and cyberspace designed to help build partnership capacity among the Baltic States. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have also made large investments in defense modernization and capability. Many of the technologies in these projects rely on secure communications and the Synchronization Board is a method to maximize the impact of those communications.
With increased interest and investments over the coming years, the Baltic Sea C5I Synchronization Board is an effort for the U.S. and our Baltic Allies to jointly develop, vet and prioritize C5I requirements for the Baltic region,” Raduege said. “This board with help assure that future interoperability projects optimize funds and take advantage of the best technology, training and processes to improve decision making and warfighting capabilities with our Baltic Allies, in support of NATO and our collective defense priorities.”
U.S. European Command continues to work with our Allies, partners, and other U.S. military and government agencies to collaborate in the cyber domain.
“Creation of the Synchronization Board to achieve a common approach in critical dimensions such as command, communication, cyberspace, intelligence sharing, and more, is a significant step forward,” Mõts said. “Baltic Sea region security will be enhanced in close cooperation with US and Baltic communities.”
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U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) is responsible for U.S. military operations across Europe, portions of Asia and the Middle East, the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean. USEUCOM is comprised of more than 64,000 military and civilian personnel and works closely with NATO Allies and partners. The command is one of two U.S. forward-deployed geographic combatant commands headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. For more information about USEUCOM, visit https://www.eucom.mil.
