Baltic Quad Series

GMF’s Baltic Quad Conversations series seeks to better understand the pressing security issues facing the Baltics and its transatlantic partners. With the support of the Latvian Ministry of Defense, GMF regularly convenes select senior American, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian officials, alongside policy and academic experts, for a series of Track 1.5 off-the-record discussions. These intimate, working group discussions on pressing security issues further GMF’s goal of bolstering transatlantic ties and promoting opportunities for cooperation between the United States and Europe.

Baltic Quad Talks Hosted

 

Baltic Quad One (May 5, 2016)

As President Donald J. Trump secured the Republican Party nomination on the platform of revamping U.S. foreign policy, the Quad met to examine key issues in the run-up to the 2016 Warsaw NATO summit.  During this meeting, participants discussed the continued response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, hybrid threats, and Alliance resilience. Additionally, conversations evaluated U.S.-Baltic cooperation beyond the context of NATO and analyzed regional political-military dynamics in an evolving geopolitical context.

Baltic Quad Two (October 28, 2016) 

The second Quad meeting discussed Euroatlantic security after the Warsaw NATO summit. Attendees discussed the implications on NATO’s decision to deploy an Enhanced Forward Presence consisting of four rotating battalions in Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. They shared quadrilateral perspectives on reassurance and deterrence after the Summit and expanded on enduring challenges to the transatlantic security architecture. Following the continued deterioration of U.S.-Russia relations, participants discussed how Europe and the U.S. might move forward in face of Russian threats to Alliance values and interests.

Baltic Quad Three (November 14, 2017) 

As discussion of the U.S. commitment to NATO reached a fever pitch, Quad participants met to address persistent and pervasive challenges in the transatlantic security environment. Through these frank and open exchanges, discussants bolstered government-to-government ties and and tackled a range of issues. With Russia’s use of hybrid warfare continuing to become a political-military reality, Quad members discussed the future of defense and deterrence in an increasingly unconventional environment. They also debated how to best advance Baltic security cooperation in traditional domains such as air, land, and sea.

Baltic Quad Four (September 9, 2019)

Against the backdrop of emerging trends in the transatlantic security environment, U.S. and Baltic government officials, along with foreign policy experts from the U.S. and Europe, met to discuss divergent perspectives on common challenges. Discussants tracked how Baltic interests align with U.S. foreign policy priorities, especially relating to the challenges posed by Russia and China. Participants also held frank conversations about the implications of the U.S. decision to withdraw from the INF treaty, further evaluating how this development would influence the United States’ regional defense posture and the future of arms control. Finally, in light of increasing authoritarian interference in democracies, participants exchanged ideas about the best way to counter malign influence in the Baltics and beyond.