Baltic Interoperability Report

The “Baltic Interoperability Report” is the first publication of the Baltic Security Strategy Project (BSSP), the largest independent security study in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. For these three countries, which are challenged by variations in regional stability and security over the years, enhanced military interoperability has been and still is a realistic solution to many of the most pressing security threats of the day.

Over the last year, a team led by Olevs Nikers and Otto Tabuns has researched and drafted a study based on a series of commissioned articles and discussions between Baltic and American security experts and key stakeholders. The core of this expert research outlines modern interoperability challenges for the three Baltic States in developing common ground forces, air and cyber defense approaches, as well as jointly meeting hybrid warfare threats. This is put in the context of the history of interoperability between 1918 and 1940, when the Baltics established their independence. The research concludes with a long-term outlook on possible scenarios of interoperability development by 2030.

The main objective of this report is to prioritize Baltic interoperability issues from a transatlantic perspective with input from US and European policymakers and defense-sector professionals. Additionally, the resulting discussion outlines questions in need of further research.