WARSAW \u2014 Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, keenly aware of Russia’s use of sophisticated electronic warfare against Ukraine, are\u00a0pushing to further develop their communications and radar capabilities.
Neighboring Latvia has also been developing its radar capabilities. ThalesRaytheonSystems recently was handed a U.S. $22.7 million Foreign Military Sales deal to supply Sentinel AN\/MPQ-64F1 radars and related equipment to Latvia by the end of October 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moreover, the Baltic states have been mulling establishment of\u00a0a joint air defense system to shield their respective air spaces. While the three countries have \u00a0made numerous acquisitions to strengthen \u00a0their interoperability with other NATO forces and secure their military communications, Russia has been improving\u00a0its jamming technology to\u00a0hamper military communications by the Baltics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russian\u00a0efforts to boost its cyberwarfare capabilities \u00a0first were seen following its August 2008\u00a0invasion of neighboring Georgia. Moscow’s conventional military attack was accompanied by a series of cyberattacks targeting the websites of various Georgian institutions and media, including the country’s president and parliament. According to the Kremlin-controlled news agency Sputnik, the radar is unique and \u00a0can jam the signal of MIM-104 Patriot missile systems. Poland has selected the Patriot to bolster its air defenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, Russia’s Defense Ministry also has unveiled plans to deploy the Nebo-M anti-missile radar systems in Eastern Europe. Local analysts said\u00a0that\u00a0while the three Baltic states remain vigilant against a possible conventional attack, non-conventional measures such as cyberattacks are perceived as increasingly threatening by Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn.