▶ 0:01:48The Subcommittee on Europe will come to The purpose of this hearing is to focus on the security landscape along NATO's eastern frontier in the Baltics. And I recognize myself for an opening Today's hearing examines the security of the Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, and Three allies on NATO's front line, we now call the eastern frontier. Uh their defense is not peripheral.
▶ 0:02:15It is a direct measure of the alliance's credibility and core US national security interests. These nations border a Russia that has demonstrated in Ukraine both the intent and the capability to use to achieve its objectives. But the challenge facing the Baltics is not limited to conventional aggression. The battlefield has changed. Today's conflict is defined by persistent, multi-domain fifth-generation warfare that is already underway.
▶ 0:02:46We've had a hearing uh we've held two hearings exact examining hybrid threats and its impact on American and allied interests. These threats are not theoretical. They're being deployed every day through cyber attacks, malign influence, economic coercion, weaponized mass migration, and efforts to exploit ethnic and political divisions. In many respects, the Baltic states have been on the front lines of understanding, exposing, and countering these forms of hybrid warfare.
▶ 0:03:17Earlier this year, I introduced HR 7632, the SHADOW Act, which builds directly on the findings of the Europe subcommittee work. The legislation ensures that we systematically identify, analyze, and counter hybrid threats before they escalate further.
▶ 0:03:34This legislation establishes a hybrid warfare accountability coordinator at the State Department to enhance our efforts, enabling faster attribution, stronger information sharing, more coordinated responses, and greater resilience across NATO. I am proud that this bill passed out of committee unanimously. The trajectory of the war in Ukraine will shape the Baltic security environment for years to come.
▶ 0:04:01Even in the event of a ceasefire or frozen conflict, Russia is likely to reconstitute its forces and in fact is doing so today. To fight in Ukraine, Russia has drawn down its crack troops from its western military district. When this war is over, there is a real risk that Russia may position its battle-hardened troops on the borders of the Baltic Republics.
▶ 0:04:23This would escalate tensions between Moscow and Brussels beyond anything we saw at the onset of the invasion of History suggests the cessation of the conflict in Ukraine will not reduce the Russian threat. It may instead simply redirect it. NATO's eastern flank, particularly the Baltics, would be a primary target for this renewed pressure. Deterrence in this region is therefore not a future requirement.
▶ 0:04:48It is an immediate one, particularly due to the lack of strategic depth in the Baltics. We should also be clear-eyed about the role the Baltic states themselves are Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are not security free loaders. They historically lead the way in NATO for defense spending by GDP.
▶ 0:05:10While today we are focused specifically on these three reliable partners, I would like to also acknowledge and commend Poland and Norway who joined the Baltic Republics Republic as the top five leaders in defense expenditures as a share of GDP in 2025. The Baltic states also host multinational NATO forces and have delivered substantial support to Their commitment strengthens NATO as a whole, as standard-bearers for what the alliance should look like.
▶ 0:05:39The United States remains indispensable to deterrence on NATO's eastern Our strategic enablers, foreign pre- forward and joint and combined coordination within the alliance are foundational. But, credibility requires more than It requires capability.
▶ 0:05:57The war in Ukraine has underscored the importance of ready forces, sufficient stockpiles, and a defense industrial base capable of sustaining prolonged The central question before us is whether NATO is postured not just to respond to a crisis in the Baltics, but to prevent one.
▶ 0:06:17That means ensuring deterrence is credible, allied contributions are sufficient, and the lessons of Ukraine are translated into tangible improvements in readiness and The Baltic states understand the stakes. They have invested accordingly and continue to lead by example. This hearing is an opportunity to assess whether the broader alliance is keeping pace, and whether our strategy reflects the reality on the ground.
▶ 0:06:44Because if deterrence fails in the the cost won't be measured in miles of territory, it will be measured in the credibility of NATO itself. Today's hearing will seek a clear-eyed assessment and actionable recommendations to ensure the security of the Baltic region, and I look forward to the testimony of our witness and a rigorous discussion on how to confront these evolving threats before they destabilize the region, undermine the alliance, and threaten broader American and transatlantic security interests.
▶ 0:07:15The chair now recognizes the ranking Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, uh for holding this hearing, and thank you, Deputy Assistant Secretary Smith, for being here today. Uh for more than 30 years, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have stood as pillars of freedom and democracy.
▶ 0:07:30In the decades preceding Baltic independence, the 1940 Wells Declaration and the 1932 Stimson Doctrine enshrined in US policy the non-recognition of Soviet annexation of the Baltic states, as well as a any international territorial changes executed by force. This policy, in conjunction with a Budapest Memorandum, resonates today as Russia prosecutes an an illegal war of aggression in Ukraine.
▶ 0:07:58As Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania charted their own Baltic way, the United States stood alongside as an ally and force multiplier in the region. Today, the Baltic states are leaders in almost every category and well on the track to meet NATO defense spending targets. More so, each has donated an average of 13% of their annual defense spending directly to Ukraine.
▶ 0:08:26To match Estonia's donation to Ukraine as a percentage of GDP, the United States would need to provide more than a trillion dollars to Ukraine. To defend NATO's eastern flank, all three nations host a NATO enhanced forward presence force, including Germany's first permanent foreign military deployment in decades, in Additionally, Latvia has opened one of the largest training grounds in the Baltics for NATO's use, while all three Baltic nations provide top-of-the-line host nation support packages
▶ 0:08:56to deployed US service members. Congress continues to support these efforts through the bipartisan Baltic Security Initiative. Put simply, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are steadfast allies whose live whose lived experience the commitment uh their commitment to our collective defense and to a robust but still growing partnership with America.
▶ 0:09:21Yet, as the Baltic states are eager to work with the United States, the Trump administration has undermined our alliances through threats of invasion, tariffs, sanctions of our European allies. And there's so doubts about America's commitment to the transatlantic In recent weeks, for example, the Defense Department has announced withdrawals of troops from Europe and indefinitely paused the delivery of US defense systems previously purchased by our Baltic allies citing munitions caused by President Trump's war of choice in Iran.
▶ 0:09:53And while Mr. Smith's testimony outlines how the Baltics have severed ties with all of Russia's energy and robustly support US operations in Iran, President Trump has responded by issuing general licenses on Russian and Iranian oil providing billions every month to fuel the Russian war machine against However, in a contrast House Democrats and independent thinking Republicans, I might add, are leading on the Baltics and Ukraine.
▶ 0:10:21Just yesterday the discharge petition of the Ukraine Support Act, which myself ranking member Meeks and Representative Hoyer have co-led, reached its 218th signature. This bill provides an additional 8 billion dollars in foreign military financing loans for Ukraine and countries in impacted by the war including 30 million specifically for the Balkans. For the Baltics, rather.
▶ 0:10:46The Ukraine Support Act also provides additional support for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and imposes meaningful sanctions on the entire Russian economy, sanctions President Trump has been unwilling to Finally, it includes vital support for Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty and squarely condemns the Kremlin's grotesque campaign to abduct Ukrainian I look forward to every member of the House having the opportunity to vote on this legislation in the coming weeks.
▶ 0:11:15In closing, Deputy Assistant Secretary Deputy Assistant Secretary Smith, I appreciate your being here today even when the political policy making leadership of the Department refuses. It's unfortunate that that 16 months into this administration this committee, the subcommittee in Europe, has had zero public briefings, hearings, or engagements with any Trump administrative officials on Ukraine and that neither of the two people leading the or any political appointee of the State Department
▶ 0:11:45has been willing or compelled by the majority to testify. I hope that it with many threats undermining Baltic security, this hearing can further demonstrate the best way we can bolster our relationship with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in the decades to come.
▶ 0:12:01And I I hope that we can work together fighting together to fight for democracy, to fight for the security not only of these Baltic countries, but of Europe itself and the US in fighting to preserve Ukraine's sovereignty. Are you back? Other members of the committee are reminded that opening statements may be submitted for the record.
▶ 0:12:27We are pleased to have Deputy Assistant Secretary Christopher Smith from the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the US State Department before us today. Your full statement will be made part of the record and I'll ask you to keep your spoken remarks to 5 minutes in order to allow time for questions. I now recognize Mr. Smith for an opening Good morning, Chairman Self, Ranking Member Keating, distinguished members of the committee.
▶ 0:12:54Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today about US relations with our Baltic allies, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The United States partnerships with the Baltic countries are strong, durable, and strategically vital. These allies are consistently among the most pro-transatlantic and pro-US voices in Europe, particularly on NATO defense spending, on energy security, and support for peace in Ukraine.
▶ 0:13:22They never shy away from breaking with EU consensus when necessary to side with the United States on matters of shared At a time of heightened geopolitical competition and continued instability due to the Russia-Ukraine war, our Baltic allies remain among the clearest voices in Europe in defense of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the transatlantic cooperation.
▶ 0:13:46Our partnership is bolstered by a steady cadence of senior-level engagements, including cabinet-level meetings, diplomatic consultations, mill-to-mill engagements, as well as vital congressional engagement. I have myself been to the region six times in the last year to advance our common objectives, including cooperation to counter hybrid threats from Russia and from Belarus.
▶ 0:14:09I'm proud to work with Special Envoy John Ko on negotiations with the Lukashenka regime that have freed over 500 political prisoners, including American citizens and dozens of citizens of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. We've also engaged Minsk to address specific security threats at the request of our Baltic allies. A clear signal in a tough neighborhood that the United States has their back. On the bilateral front, our cooperation with the Baltics has never been closer or more important.
▶ 0:14:40Estonia has distinguished itself as a global leader in digital governance and cybersecurity, hosting NATO's Cyber Center of Excellence. Latvia plays a central role in regional logistics and energy Lithuania demonstrates principled leadership on economic security, serving as the gateway for US LNG to the region. All three Baltic allies prioritize buying American, especially in the defense and energy sectors.
▶ 0:15:09The Baltic states have taken decisive action to protect their borders. Their commitment to border integrity and information sharing with US partners strengthens our collective security. By investing in advanced border surveillance technologies, enhancing cooperation with the United States, and maintaining strict vetting procedures, the Baltic states serve as a model in Europe for responsible migration All three Baltic allies will meet President Trump's call for NATO allies to spend 5% on defense
▶ 0:15:40uh up from their GDP on defense this year. Lithuania and Estonia lead the alliance in per capita spending at roughly 5.4% and Latvia is the first NATO ally to enshrine in law its commitment to spend 5% on defense.
▶ 0:15:57Over decades, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have consistently supported US-led operations globally, including operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi They have offered, more recently, meaningful public and practical support to Operation Epic Fury, deeply underscoring their reliability as security partners.
▶ 0:16:17The United States values our partnership with these three nations, who align so clearly with our national security The threats facing the Baltics are real and persistent. Russia's hostile activities include military posturing, cyber attacks, and increasing hybrid pressure.
▶ 0:16:35China presents a longer-term requiring continued vigilance against economic coercion and influence In response, the United States is working closely with our Baltic allies to enhance deterrence and defense through NATO's forward presence, joint training, and investment in infrastructure and readiness. Energy security, likewise, remains a The Baltics officially severed all ties with Russian energy in February 2025.
▶ 0:17:04Nearly 80% of the LNG imported by the Baltic nations come from the United States. Lithuania has also engineered the delivery of US LNG forward to help Ukraine and help Kyiv meet their energy In closing, our partnerships with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are a model of what a strong alliance can Their support for US operations demonstrates that even small states can make outsized contributions to collective security.
▶ 0:17:33The United States remains firmly committed to standing with our Baltic allies, and we deeply value our partnership based on shared interests and values. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. I look forward to the discussion. Uh thank you, Mr. Smith. I now recognize myself for 5 minutes.
▶ 0:17:51Uh I'd like to first address the threat that as you see it in the to the we believe that Russia is reconstituting its forces, plans to reposition them. Can you give us an assessment of the Russia's plans to reposition troops and military assets near the Baltic borders uh after the war in Ukraine. So, my questions are post-Ukraine.
▶ 0:18:18I don't know when, I don't know how, but uh all war is end. So, post-Ukraine, what is your assessment of Russia's plans toward the Mr. Chairman, thank you for the question. Uh as you are well aware, Russia is using about 90% of its combat power in Ukraine at the moment, but your question is about what happens once peace is achieved. I think we should expect Russia to rebalance its forces and look for opportunities to project power uh and also create dilemmas for NATO.
▶ 0:18:48Uh this is particularly acute in the Baltic region, and I would argue, sir, that it is already happening in their use of hybrid operations against the Baltic states and its efforts to pressure those states and project power in the region. Okay, thank you. So, we've got uh three aspects of of this question.
▶ 0:19:09Uh you've got the lack of strategic depth, uh Uh you've got the Kaliningrad A2/AD area, and then you've got the Suwalki Gap, which I I consider a strategic vulnerability. Can you address those three and how NATO addresses those three uh from a policy perspective? Thank you, sir.
▶ 0:19:29Uh I would agree that geography presents certain strategic uh constraints on our operations, and NATO's force planning is essential to mitigate those uh constraints and challenges. In particular, I think it's important that NATO has repositioned forces to provide a forward-deployed deterrents capability, but also it's critical that these allies are really leading the way. The Baltics are really leading the way in investing in the modern technologies of 21st century warfare.
▶ 0:19:59Uh Latvia, for example, is the largest drone producer in Europe after only Ukraine, and their co-production with the United States, with other NATO allies, and with Ukraine presents an opportunity to mitigate with new technologies some of the challenges that they face uh in the geographical domain on the battlefield. And then I'll ask you a question that uh would ask you to consider.
▶ 0:20:24Their their support for Ukraine, does it harm their readiness for their own defense in post-Ukraine The Baltic allies see the outcome of the war in Ukraine and the ability to deliver a secure peace in the future as essential to their own national security. They're providing assistance to Ukraine to help it defend itself, but they're also investing heavily in their own defense.
▶ 0:20:55As I mentioned before, these are allies that are leading the charge in NATO in terms of core defense investments, not only to be able to deter deter attacks today, but also be able to deter pressure in the future. They're investing in new technologies, and they are leveraging the lessons learned from the battlefield in Ukraine through their close partnerships in the military domain, intelligence, and security domains more broadly.
▶ 0:21:20Okay, so in 2022, Estonia signed a contract to purchase six high mobility artillery rocket system HIMARS. Uh and deliveries were scheduled for 2024. They weren't delivered till 2025. Uh their and their ATACMS shipments were also delayed, partly because of our own operations, I understand.
▶ 0:21:46Uh we need to increase our defense industrial base, and I understand Europe needs to do the same. That both of them need to be increased. But have you How do you convey that need to your political military affairs, DSCA, DOW? How do you communicate your perspective to the uh interagency partners?
▶ 0:22:11Turbocharging the defense industrial base in the United States is a top priority for the administration. Uh it's also something that we are engaged on with our NATO allies and partners. We need to see Europe making similar investments in their own ability to produce key components for the modern battlefield. Uh we're also focused on learning lessons on what types of technologies are most effective in the type of warfare that might be fought in Europe in the future.
▶ 0:22:39This is an essential element for interagency discussion, and it's certainly something that we're engaged on at the highest levels all the way down to my level with our allies in the Baltics, but across NATO. It's a uh core objective also for our upcoming um engagements in the NATO uh at senior levels in the NATO format to focus in on defense industrial base and how we can do more on the transatlantic tip.
▶ 0:23:04Yeah, and my time is is gone, but I would say that we need to figure out yes, if our all of our allies are contributing 5% that they have somewhere to spend that 5%. And now I recognize the ranking member Keating for 5 Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Our our strategic uh policy towards China uh is one of the deterrence. Fair to say that uh Assistant Secretary.
▶ 0:23:32Uh is it also fair to say that China's looking at uh what's transpiring in uh the Baltics, what's transpiring in Ukraine uh in terms of how they view or how that'll be part of their analysis of how to deal with Taiwan? Uh Mr. Ranking Member, I would say China is certainly studying uh the war in Ukraine and uh as you know, is providing significant support to Russia's ability to continue its operations.
▶ 0:24:02China provides about 80% of dual-use goods for the Russian defense industrial base. Uh and it's also looking carefully uh at its relationships with the Baltic countries. Uh the Baltic countries, this is not lost on them. They are increasingly viewing China as they analyze their trade relations and other relations with China through the lens of China's support for Russia's war in Ukraine.
▶ 0:24:26Uh and I think that um they are drawing conclusions and cooling their economic relations with China as a result. Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up because I think that uh when you look at the Baltic states, uh it's been extraordinary the way they stood up. Uh the now defunct 17 plus one uh initiative by China, uh they were uh vociferous, they were clear. Uh they were not going to participate uh in that.
▶ 0:24:52So, uh I think it's it's important to look at what the Baltic states are doing economically, too, and how steadfast ally they are to the United and the EU and how they look very skeptically on China in that regard. In fact, uh Lithuania uh posted a uh a Taiwan office there uh and took a lot uh the arrows that were thrown their way for doing that.
▶ 0:25:18Just want to be clear uh on your testimony uh you said that uh uh there's been a steady cadence of meetings with Baltic officials. you know, I've been talking to other uh members uh member states in the region and and throughout Europe and the steady cadence isn't the same as high-level cadence.
▶ 0:25:37And uh could you commit to underscoring maybe the frustration that I'm hearing from some of them that they would like to uh have higher-level meetings, Secretary Rubio, Counselor Needham, uh and can you communicate that to to try and ensure that our European allies are receiving the type of high-level uh uh meetings that they they I think surely need. Ranking member, I will certainly relay that point to leadership.
▶ 0:26:03I would point out that in the case of the Baltics, all of them have had substantive engagements with Secretary Rubio uh and with uh Counselor Needham as well as other leaders uh across the interagency. Yeah, I also want to just uh underscore something else uh cuz I addressed in my remarks the uh of the Baltic states as well.
▶ 0:26:25you know, first of all, just and I'm not asking you to know the exact numbers, but I think you'll be able to address this, but is it true the European Union and the EU member states have made about $226 billion available to Ukraine since the start of the invasion? Does that number sound about right? Uh that number sounds approxi- approximately correct, sir. Yes. And and is it true that Congress has appropriated $174 billion to Ukraine, including $134 billion in security assistance since the start of the war.
▶ 0:26:53I don't have the exact figures, sir, but that is generally my understanding.
▶ 0:26:57So, just so the public knows, that's the EU has provided 25% more to Ukraine than the United States. I think that's lost on a lot of the American public in that regard. And in terms of some of the Is it accurate to say the foreign military financing?
▶ 0:27:16Uh you know, the development finance corporation from US supplemental packages were made available to Ukraine, but importantly uh they also impacted uh other countries. Other countries benefit that. Could you comment on the the money we're giving Ukraine also uh those packages also help the other countries that are affected. Uh I would say that's an accurate description of the impact of our assistance.
▶ 0:27:42I would also say that part of the reason the EU and European countries have stepped up to provide these extensive levels of support is we have challenged them to do so and to share more of the burden given the central national security priority for Europe of uh what is taking place in And I think that as you look at things going forward uh just look at what we've done to help those areas, too.
▶ 0:28:08Estonia received HIMARS system, Latvia received HIMARS and naval air strike missiles, Lithuania received important kit and training equipment like night vision goggles and laser range finders. Just a few examples. But that's important, too, uh these are NATO countries.
▶ 0:28:26These are NATO countries that were there with us after 9/11 and it's important to underscore that uh you know, just as these countries did in nine after 9/11, when nine Estonians, four Latvians and one Lithuanian gave their lives for our cause coming into things under Article 5, it's important to remember that that commitment also is a commitment to NATO. Mr. Ranking Member, I would associate myself with those remarks.
▶ 0:28:51I served as a political advisor to US military units in Afghanistan in ISAF and had both Lithuanian and Latvian officers in my and we recognize their service. I would also say that the assistance we provide is important to get them on to US platforms. It's made them more battle capable, but it's also helped them choose US div as the strategic armament source of first resort. My time is gone. I thank you and I yield back.
▶ 0:29:22Thank you. I will point out that Secretary Rubio hosted met with the foreign ministers in March of 25 soon after the start of this administration and Secretary Hagedorn hosted his counterparts in July of 2025.
▶ 0:29:39So and I can't speak for anyone below the secretaries themselves, but high-level meetings have have taken place and I want to thank the ranking member for pointing out the the the administration's position that Europe must step up has actually happened in Ukraine and now recognize the representative from South Carolina, the honorable Mr. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And Mr.
▶ 0:30:06Secretary, I I think it's really exciting that you actually see bipartisanship here today with Chairman Self and the ranking member Keating. We all strongly support as the ranking members mentioned the security and sovereignty independence of Taiwan and the leadership of Lithuania to take steps on that.
▶ 0:30:27Additionally, it's really important that what has been brought out and confirmed with the chairman and that is the level of support from Europe to the people of Ukraine and how indeed the American support, the European support and working together. With that in mind, our Baltic allies of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are correctly identified as {quote} model allies by President Donald Trump, exceeding goals for defense spending and NATO contribution.
▶ 0:30:57I've visited all three and and the people there and it's the people are an inspiration of their independence and hey, their recognition too that America never recognized the Soviet occupation of 1940. We always recognize their independence and now they're free. With that in mind, they are facing unprecedented infrastructure migration attacks by war criminal Putin and his puppet Lukashenka of Belarus.
▶ 0:31:23War criminal Putin is helped by fellow declared enemies of America, the Chinese Communist Party, the crazy dictator Kim Jong Un, and the murderous regime in Tehran. Ukraine, working with the United States, is developing state-of-the-art technology to counter emerging threats of drones threatening the free world. With that in mind, Mr.
▶ 0:31:43Secretary, you with your leadership and Secretary Marco Europe is more united than ever, empowering NATO to achieve peace through War criminal Putin must be stopped from resurrecting the failed Soviet Union as he invades Georgia and Ukraine, as he keeps troops in Moldova, and shamefully rigged elections in the Republic of Georgia, but with Salome Zourabichvili being the legitimate president of the Republic of Georgia. And Mr.
▶ 0:32:13Secretary, I'm really grateful that I had the opportunity to meet with you in your service in Kyiv, and how extraordinary we your service means to all of us. With that in mind, what is being done to fast-track arm sales to allies who want to purchase American defense articles such as HIMARS, which have been delayed for years? Thank you very much, Congressman, for your question.
▶ 0:32:38Uh we are committed to ensuring that our allies uh are able to purchase from the United States defense industrial base the weapons they need to deter and defend against uh aggression. Uh we have in some cases informed European allies that certain munitions, usually ammunition, uh have been delayed due to ongoing contingencies in the Gulf. Uh however, we are working very hard to ensure that those deliveries are come back online as quickly as possible.
▶ 0:33:07And we are also delivering uh weapon systems that uh these Baltic allies in particular have uh used to modernize their militaries and make central to their order of battle. Uh so going forward, uh we will continue to work with them closely to meet their needs in terms of capabilities, but also ensure that they have the training and wherewithal in order to deploy them to effect. And indeed, that's been bipartisan with Chairman Brian Mast and Ranking Member uh Gregory Meeks.
▶ 0:33:35They uh truly have stood together on signing off and facilitating foreign military sales. And and to me it's just so important and I thank goodness uh for you and Secretary Rubio to have the lead. With that, what are other allies doing such as France, the UK, and Germany doing to defend the Baltic states and deter any further Russian The NATO presence in the Baltics is a really great example of the alliance stepping up
▶ 0:34:06to meet the burden not only on the shoulders of the United States, but also across the entire alliance. Germany has deployed an entire brigade to Lithuania as was mentioned earlier uh in the discussion. This is a really important signal, really historic signal of a NATO ally stepping up to help another ally on the Eastern frontier.
▶ 0:34:26Uh additionally, we have multiple allies participating in the air policing mission, the Baltic air policing mission, providing aircraft and pilots to secure the skies in these important regions. And finally, we have multiple allies contributing to Baltic Sentry, a naval exercise, a naval operation designed to counter threats against undersea critical infrastructure.
▶ 0:34:48Well, indeed, you're being successful and I'm grateful that today in the Washington Times is a really remarkable article about Russia's grinding offensive stalls. Again, the people of Ukraine are so courageous standing up just as the people of Republic of Georgia and our Baltic allies. So, uh God bless you. God bless our allies in Central and Eastern Europe. Thank you. Gentlemen, you're back.
▶ 0:35:16Uh and I now recognize the representative from Rhode Island, Mr. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh I appreciate your efforts uh alongside the ranking member in holding this hearing. Uh and thank you, Deputy Assistant Secretary Smith, for being here. Uh I will add uh a note that it did take this committee nearly 16 months to hold a hearing with an administration witness. And that silence matters, especially now.
▶ 0:35:42But, I'm glad you're For decades, support for NATO was not a partisan question. Presidents and members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, understood that our transatlantic alliances make America President Trump shattered that consensus. He threatened to abandon NATO altogether, even though that action would violate the law pushed by then Senator Marco Rubio, Secretary Rubio.
▶ 0:36:07Um and the President also threatened to invade Greenland, a territory uh of a NATO ally. And he pushed to withdraw troops from NATO countries. Every time President takes an action like this, Putin smiles. Putin feels emboldened and he gets Russian aggression poses a serious threat to our Baltic allies, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania we know are not freeloaders.
▶ 0:36:34They are among NATO's strongest partners who have invested over 5% of GDP in defense and have put real skin in the game for Ukraine's These allies clearly understand that something that this administration refuses to say itself. If Ukraine falls, Putin won't stop at Russia's already escalating along NATO's eastern frontier. The Baltics wake up every day under the shadow of Putin's aggression.
▶ 0:37:03They're facing Russian troops amassing near their borders, Russian cyber attacks to their banks, power grids, and government system. Russian different disinformation poisoning social media and trying to fracture their democracies from within. Russian jets violating NATO airspace, Russian crews sabotaging undersea cables and critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. For Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, this is not some abstract geopolitical debate.
▶ 0:37:32It is a daily reminder that Putin is testing the edges of NATO's Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have stood shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine against Putin's aggression dedicating more than 13% of their defense budgets to Ukraine's survival because they know their own security is on the line. This should not be partisan. Right now, Democrats and some of my brave Republican colleagues are pushing for a vote to strengthen support for Ukraine and increase sanctions until Putin ends his war.
▶ 0:38:03Uh but Mr. Smith, I don't believe that your testimony testimony gave sufficient mention to the existential existential threat in Ukraine. That omission is not just it's dangerous. So, I want to ask you directly, how does a Ukraine a Ukrainian victory against Russian aggression strengthen Baltic security and help secure NATO's Eastern flank? Thank you very much for the question.
▶ 0:38:33I believe the Baltic nations view the outcome of the war in Ukraine as truly an important national security priority for them as does the members of the alliance. That is why our administration has dedicated so much time and effort to reaching a negotiated settlement of the war. It is why we have engaged with both Moscow and Kyiv to find an enduring lasting peace to bring this war to an end.
▶ 0:39:03And and tell talk to me about the progress in achieving that settlement because from my perspective, it seems like rhetorically as you just communicated, we're there, but we see an administration that does not seem committed to actually getting a resolution that doesn't leave Putin Given the ongoing diplomacy, Congressman, I'm hesitant to discuss the details. These negotiations are live. They are happening and the engagement continues.
▶ 0:39:33I would point out that important progress has been made in the achievement of large-scale prisoner exchanges and a greater understanding about core elements of what a secure peace will look like, but I am not positioned to comment further on the details of those
▶ 0:39:49I would say this. It's been 16 months since we've had an administration witness here. So the excuse that this is happening behind closed doors and is you know, born by the secrecy of diplomacy, I don't think meets the moment. Because this is an existential threat to democracy around the world.
▶ 0:40:09And and frankly, I don't see an administration that is vigorously every single day a resolution that does not have Vladimir Putin achieving the successes that he believes he's going to get in coordination with President Trump, and that needs to stop. With that, I yield back. Uh thank you.
▶ 0:40:29I I will say that if we want to have administration officials confirmed administration officials sooner in a in a tenure of a president, we need to get everyone in the Senate to confirm them faster. Uh I now recognize the representative from California, Ms. Thank you, Chairman Self and Ranking Member Keating for hosting today's hearing, and I want to thank our Deputy Assistant Secretary Smith for joining us today.
▶ 0:40:57Uh Estonia, Latvia, and Lithane- uh they are among NATO's strongest and most reliable partners to the United States, and each has exceeded its uh NATO's 2% GDP defense spending target, and continues to invest at high levels.
▶ 0:41:17The Baltic states sit at the forefront of the response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, and their commitment to collective defense makes them vital to the United States and alliance. Uh yet, the Baltic states continue to face increasingly sophisticated and growing cybersecurity threats.
▶ 0:41:37For example, um Lithuania registered 3,874 cyber incidents in 2000 24, and that is about 63% increase from the previous The region regularly experiences distributed denial-of-service attacks attributed to Russian hacker groups, often targeting critical infrastructure and government websites to spread disinformation and erode the public trust.
▶ 0:42:04So, can you talk to us about where the US and the Baltic countries deepen our cybersecurity partnership, and what gaps remain in our information sharing arrangements and how can we close them? Get it get the gap closer. The question, this is certainly a critical issue that we are focused on with our Baltic allies.
▶ 0:42:31This is also an issue for the broader alliance and I would agree that Russian hybrid pressure, especially through cyber tactics, is a significant challenge for the alliance. It's not a mistake that NATO's center of cyber excellence is hosted in Tallinn, in the capital of Estonia and really we see the Estonians and all of our Baltic allies as real leaders in cyber defense and cybersecurity.
▶ 0:42:57Born by experience and born by the challenges that they have faced that they have met and and challenges that they've faced over the course of the last many several years. We are working closely with them to improve tactics, to share information on best practices, to conduct joint training and operations together in order to strengthen NATO's ability to resist against this hybrid pressure. Thank you. Thank you very much for that.
▶ 0:43:26talk about our relationship and Lithuania's relationship with Taiwan. Lithuania has always been a leader among the EU countries in pushing back against the Chinese influence and as ranking member Keating you know highlighted earlier it allowed Taiwanese representative office to open its office under the name Taiwanese in 2021 and since then they faced severe economic pressure from Taiwan
▶ 0:43:57and it has helped advance US priorities on China and served as a steadfast political ally and trade partner to Taiwan. The US has likewise supported Lithuania, including through the Exim Bank to boost technology and energy cooperation.
▶ 0:44:14However, early this year, the Lithuanian Prime Minister indicated that the country had been talking or taking the small first steps to restore ties with China, saying Lithuania had jumped in front of a train and lost. So, can you talk about the current assessment of the Lithuanian government and the Lithuanian people's posture toward Taiwan? And is there evidence of a shift in favor of a closer ties with China?
▶ 0:44:43I would characterize Lithuania's uh relationship with China and the principled stand that they've taken against uh economic coercion in the region as uh something that has really been a a leading voice in the broader European Union. However, I would also add that my impression is the Baltic states as they view their relationships with China, they're looking very carefully at China's support for Russia in Ukraine.
▶ 0:45:11That is really the decisive factor, I believe, in how they assess their economic relationship with China through a national security lens. They see that China provides 80% of dual-use goods for Russia's defense industrial base, and they are drawing conclusions and advocating in Brussels with the European Union uh accordingly. Well, thank you very much.
▶ 0:45:34Can you quickly talk about uh and describe the actual threats posed um to the Baltic region by the People's Republic of China, including economic coercion, hybrid activities, and influence Uh certainly economic coercion is a concern for all three Baltic uh allies. It's why they are uh working closely with the United States on secure supply chains. It's why they have worked to remove uh Chinese components from their communications infrastructure.
▶ 0:46:03Uh but as I said, my view is that the principal uh concern that these countries have about China in the current moment revolves around China's relationship with Russia vis-à-vis Russia's war in Ukraine. Great. Well, thank you very much. My time's up and I yield back. Uh thank you. I believe that uh seeing no other members, we'll start a second round if you've got the time.
▶ 0:46:28And I would be remiss if I did not mention Lithuania's outstanding support in the case of the tank retriever, the heavy equipment recovery vehicle that sank into the swamp uh in March of 2025. Uh they gave whatever was necessary. Uh we had to fly in uh two sets of of uh divers to actually find it.
▶ 0:46:54And if one had not actually stepped on the barrel, who knows how far down that 70-ton vehicle would have gone. So, I want to publicly recognize Lithuania and Polish uh support during that operation. When I stood on the edge of that uh swamp uh just weeks later, uh it was obvious to me from the briefings that uh they had pulled out all the stops uh to make sure that had that the US had whatever it needed uh to recover our four uh dead service members.
▶ 0:47:23So, I want to publicly recognize that. And I want to uh ask you Mr. Smith, uh talk a little bit about our Western European allies, what they are doing specifically because this is important. What they are doing specifically now, today, to protect our Baltic allies.
▶ 0:47:47Uh I think that the NATO response across the alliance from member states, including Western uh European member states such as Germany and Italy, has really been extraordinary. As I mentioned before, the Germans have fielded an entire brigade in Lithuania, a very powerful symbol of support from Germany and the broader alliance for the Italy participates in air policing missions providing aircraft and pilots to help deter threats from the air.
▶ 0:48:17And all of these allies have committed to supporting NATO battle groups to help reinforce this critical region against pressure and threats of aggression. Yeah, can you address the battle groups in in each of the nations, please? Each nation each Baltic nation has on the ground rotational support from a mix of NATO allies. In Lithuania, the primary force of course is the German Brigade.
▶ 0:48:44The United States has rotational deployments to all of these countries as well, as well as multiple other allies who participate not only in deployments, but also in a regular cadence of exercises designed to ensure that we have battle readiness, but also designed to send a signal to potential Thank you for that. I don't want to point out we've we've talked about emerging threats and and the administration's response to it under under this committee.
▶ 0:49:13We have we have responsibility for the Bureau of emerging threats, which is a new Bureau, which is actually been stood up to deal with emerging threats. With that, I'm going to yield back the balance of my time and recognize if I may the representative from Nevada, Ms. Titus. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you for for being here.
▶ 0:49:41It's you have a most impressive resume and think our paths may have crossed in Ukraine and certainly uh your comments reflect that. So, you know this area very well. We appreciate you being here. And as you know, all three Baltic states have contributed to the US and NATO led efforts in many ways. One was in Afghanistan. Now, the all three countries lost troops in Afghanistan.
▶ 0:50:07Now, the numbers may be small compared to ours, but they're not insignificant given the scale of things. And also, we need to remember that these losses came as a result of invoking Article 5 of the NATO agreement, the first and only time you know, that we've really seen that extended in a wartime situation like that. Meantime, all the three Baltic states had joined NATO in 2004.
▶ 0:50:35They're leaders in NATO defense spending, as you said, all three on track to spend more than 5% and Latvia's in the law that they have to do that by 2027. And they've already dedicated more than 12% of their their defense budgets to helping Ukraine. So, they have stepped up in that way, too. And they're doing burden sharing with all their defense spending dedicated to NATO targets.
▶ 0:51:03So, I guess you would agree with me that these three countries are model allies of ours. Yes, ma'am. I would agree with that. And but when you tell the story, I think you only tell half the story because it makes everything seem like it's all hunky-dory and it's really not on the political side. We've got the Trump administration that continues to denigrate NATO.
▶ 0:51:28They're constantly He's constantly saying, "Why do we even have NATO?" And NATO allies aren't doing enough. He's indefinitely delayed weapons shipments and deliveries to a lot of countries, including the Baltics. And he's made decisions to withdraw troops from a variety of NATO allied countries. Um I do believe that withdrawing troops would undermine the security of the Baltic states.
▶ 0:51:54And at the meantime, we got tariffs back and forth with our European countries, and that has certainly strained our relationship we've you've heard a lot about the troops. They're stationed on a rotational basis, you said, in all three countries. Can you just describe how they serve as a deterrent to Russia when they are stationed there? part we play, and also how that serves our national security, not just theirs.
▶ 0:52:26Thank you very much for the question, Congresswoman. Uh we first deployed these rotational forces back in 2022 uh in the run-up to uh Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Uh they have played a critically important role as a deterrent force simply by their presence, of course, but also by the interoperability uh that they have had with indigenous forces there of the three Baltic nations.
▶ 0:52:53They continue to play that uh and increasingly are joined and bolstered by the addition of European forces as Western European partners, as we discussed earlier, have stepped up and started to provide more forces on the eastern flank in the Baltics, but of of course across uh Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria, as well. Uh I know that many flags fly over those bases. I think Canada plays a big role in that area, as well. Lady, your time has expired. Oh, I didn't get 5 minutes?
▶ 0:53:24You did. No. No. I'm sorry. It's 1:31 now. It didn't reset the It didn't reset. Thank you. I'll be quick, but I didn't want it that quick. I appreciate that. Well, so you agree it's an important part of the of the a relationship. And and I think you make a good point. It's not just in the numbers, it's in the presence that makes a statement and it makes a statement about the importance to us and to our relations and to our national security as well as theirs.
▶ 0:53:56Yes, ma'am. Well, I I've heard that just within the last 24 to 36 hours the president has abruptly canceled 4,000 US troops going to Poland. Do you see this likely to happen in other countries along the Eastern Front or is this aberration or what's happening here?
▶ 0:54:16I've seen similar reports in the press. I would of course defer to the Pentagon on the specific force laydown of US troops in the region. Our Baltic allies are of course very supportive of the US force presence in those regions and I think we will take that into consideration as internal deliberations continue, but the decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Europe was a considered decision taken by the Secretary of War and I would
▶ 0:54:46defer to the Pentagon for for further details on that. We hear about it in Spain. Now we're seeing it in Poland. I just don't know if this is a drip drip drip across the west of Europe. I would again defer to the Secretary of War and the Joint Staff on that details of that question. Well, thank you very much. I think we've established how important it is to keep that strong on the Eastern flank and keeping those troops there makes a difference. Now now I'm done, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. Thank you very much.
▶ 0:55:15I now recognize the representative from California, Ms. Kim. Thank you. Let me shift gear a little bit here. Yesterday in our House Foreign Affairs Committee, we marked up one of my bills, Dominance Act, that was about working with our trusted partners and allies to secure energy supply chains and reduce our dependence on adversaries like China.
▶ 0:55:41Um so, on that note, how have the Baltic states reduced dependence on Russian energy since 2022? And what role has US LNG played in that uh transition? Energy security is a core element of our partnership with all three of these countries.
▶ 0:56:03Uh the Baltic countries uh import LNG into their system and roughly 80% of that LNG is sourced from the United States. They severed all uh energy cooperation with Europe in February of last year.
▶ 0:56:19And the United States has worked closely with them to help them meet both needs in terms of gas, but also increasingly uh holding discussions on nuclear and other SMR technologies that we can pursue together with these critical allies to help them generate more power for their growing You know, all three Baltic nations have experienced unauthorized Russian and Belarusian drone uh incursions in their airspace.
▶ 0:56:48Uh these adversaries have consistently used drone flyovers, aggressive electronic jamming, and other methods to test NATO capabilities on the Baltic frontline without triggering an Article 5 military response.
▶ 0:57:03Uh can you describe the increasing drone incursions in the Baltic states near military sites and critical We have seen over recent years an increase in these drone overflights, and NATO has responded by helping these allies develop a better integrated air defense capability to detect drones, uh but also be able to take steps to neutralize them as required.
▶ 0:57:29Uh as the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, has said, we need to be prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory, and defending against drone incursions is a part of that broader effort. as Russian and Belarusian hybrid air and drone capabilities continue to grow, how are the Baltic countries adopting and responding? I know you talked about the integration, um but how are the US and its allies helping counter such threats?
▶ 0:57:59We're providing uh capabilities as well as technical advice, but it's really uh another example of how the Baltics themselves are stepping up. Uh as I mentioned earlier, Latvia has become a leader in drone and counter-drone production. In fact, they're the leader in Europe, second only to Ukraine. We're also working very closely with uh Ukrainian expertise to integrate those lessons learned from the battlefield, particularly when it comes to integrated air defense, to include drone threats.
▶ 0:58:29Thank you very much. Uh with I'll yield Uh thank you, and I now recognize the ranking member, Mr. Keating. Thank you very much. Um there will be an end someday uh to the Ukraine And um at the end of the day, how can we trust Putin with his word? Uh Putin has has a history. You've seen it yourself in your own service.
▶ 0:58:56I mean, uh how can you trust Putin only with his word, or should the US should Ukraine trust Putin only with his words as a resolution to this war? I certainly doubt Ukraine would trust Putin's word uh in an agreement. However, I think that they would trust and have confidence in a negotiated comprehensive settlement that provided arrangements to ensure a lasting peace.
▶ 0:59:23Now, those arrangements, uh I don't think you can have any meaningful uh agreement at the end without having some kind of military stop guard because Putin will move forward.
▶ 0:59:36That's his So, whether it's a coalition of the willing or someone in the ground, don't you really see the necessity if he violates this and and furthers his aggression even after he promised this, doesn't it have to be some kind of force and readiness to stop him? I think sir, the most important deterrent capability necessary or the primary deterrent capability is a strong well-armed technologically advanced Ukrainian military.
▶ 1:00:07However, as you know, negotiations have been going on with allied partners and the Ukrainians about some type of effort to support a lasting peace. But again, as I mentioned earlier about the negotiations, given the fact that these talks are ongoing, I'm hesitant to speculate on any of the details. I have some questions too about our own envoy, Steve Witkoff. I mean, he met with Putin at length.
▶ 1:00:33He came out of that saying Putin is That he's a that this war criminal a good guy. That he trusts him. And and even gave advice to Yuri Ushakov, a top Putin advisor, how to flatter our president, how to manipulate our president our president to the Russians.
▶ 1:00:59That just didn't provoke a concern and a a feeling on my part that he's not up to the job, but even a colleague on the Armed Services Committee on the other side of the aisle, Representative Bacon, said, you know, the guy should be I mean, you're in a difficult spot to answer that, but I I tell you, it just reinforces to me that at the end there has to be some kind of military provision in place, not just words with Putin,
▶ 1:01:30to make sure he stops. And this is completely relevant to to the Baltics because they're next. We are 100% committed to achieving a peaceful settlement of this war. It is a top priority for our administration and we have to negotiate with both sides in order to achieve that outcome. And and with Europe.
▶ 1:01:57Uh who's had such stakeholders as well in there. And I would say in terms of the troop removal, uh the news we're getting about Poland, that falls after troops were pulled out of Romania, out of uh the pronouncement by the president after he didn't like the Chancellor of Germany's words that he'd pull 5,000 out of Germany at this time. Something that is the most welcome thing Putin could ever hear from the United States.
▶ 1:02:25But the other that troubles me is the other committee I served on, the Armed Services Committee, had language in the NDAA that these kind of troop removals from Europe would first be notified uh to the Armed the House Armed Services and so that they could have that information prior to doing these things. And so I'll just uh finish my comments by saying we are part of this here in Congress.
▶ 1:02:55Uh you know, the administration comes and says, "Please fund us. Give us all this And they're sitting there not consulting with us, not listening to us, not even going by the statutes as they apply. And that's a that's a trouble going And I hope uh that we do it in with the our allies in Europe.
▶ 1:03:19They seem willing to put on the table something that will give military a military bolstering of an agreement should Putin violate it. I almost say when Putin will violate it. I yield Uh, thank you. Uh, Mr. Secretary, we have other members that are on short final coming in. So, I will ask you a question while we're waiting on them to arrive because they really are close. Uh, can you comment?
▶ 1:03:48We've we've mentioned it, but we haven't really talked about sabotage incidents against critical undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. Can you address that for us, please? Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman. This is a serious concern.
▶ 1:04:01As you're aware, since roughly October 2023, shadow fleet vessels have on a number of occasions interfered with or damaged undersea critical undersea infrastructure, both communications infrastructure, but also gas pipelines.
▶ 1:04:21We fielded in January of 2025 operation NATO's operation Baltic Century, and the Baltic nations are critical allies contributing to this effort designed to counter just these types of threats. we are told that there are many of these. Most are accidents around the world every week. What is your assessment of these in the Baltic Sea?
▶ 1:04:50There are cases where this does happen I would have to take for the record a more detailed analysis relying on intelligence and other methods to provide you an answer, sir. Okay. Very good. I yield back, and I would now recognize the representative from Florida Mr. Fine. Well, thank you. I want to thank you for being here today on this important subject. Um actually some of my family's roots are in Lithuania, so it's an it's an issue that's of importance to me.
▶ 1:05:21I think there's no region of the world that's probably most closely watching what's happening between Russia and Ukraine than these three little countries that I assume would be next on the menu for Russia if they were able to succeed in Ukraine. So I've got a some questions that I appreciate your perspective on. Um over the course of the Ukraine war, Russia's suffered over a million casualties, had its strategic bomber fleet decimated in operated spider web, and lost an enormous amount of military equipment like tanks and armored fighting vehicles.
▶ 1:05:51How does Russia's military loss affect its ability to project power and threaten our NATO allies in the Baltic region? The Baltic allies, as you know, view the outcome of the war in Ukraine as really critical to their own national security. Um what we have seen the Russians do is try to compensate about 90% of their combat capability is committed to the war in Ukraine.
▶ 1:06:14They've tried to compensate by increasing pressure on the Baltic allies through hybrid tactics, whether they are cyber tactics, as we mentioned earlier, undersea uh and of course um military posturing on the on the front lines with the forces that they have available. Okay. So, they have been the military side has been depleted, which is I think a good thing.
▶ 1:06:37Um if when this comes to conclusion with with Ukraine, however it does, um how could Russia rebuild its forces? What would it take? How long? Do we have any sense for that? Um and and to pose a threat to NATO? I mean, like is this a 2 weeks? I don't think it's 2 weeks, but 2 months, 2 years, 20 years? I mean, how depleted are they?
▶ 1:07:00I think uh most estimates are that it would take them a number of years to be able to reconstitute the force that they had available in 2022 when they first uh this war began uh at least in this phase. Uh my impression, however, is that certain battlefield technologies that the Russians have developed, similar to Ukraine, and really become masters of, also present new dilemmas for NATO and for the United States.
▶ 1:07:27We are responding to that by making sure that we're learning lessons from the battlefield as well and fielding the capabilities to ensure we can deter uh any future uh aggression
▶ 1:07:38You mean like drone warfare?
▶ 1:07:40drone, counter-drone warfare, uh autonomous systems, ground drones, naval drones. It's uh these are the uh systems I'm talking about. So, when it comes to the Baltics, the threats in the Baltics, we usually discuss Russia. Makes sense, they're next door. Um but I was hoping you could describe the threats posed to the Baltic region by the People's Republic of The Baltic region um views directly its relationship with the People's Republic of China through the lens of the war in Ukraine.
▶ 1:08:09They see that 80% of dual-use uh provided to the Russian defense industrial base are sourced from China or come through China, and they are evaluating that as they assess their economic relationship with China. Okay. Well, we we've seen some of our NATO allies, frankly, I've incredible disappointment, not the subject of today, but whether it's Turkey or or or Spain, which I question if they even are our allies anymore.
▶ 1:08:35Um but we've seen others like France take very naive approaches to the PRC and the threat they pose to NATO. Um what outreach efforts has the department taken to inform our NATO allies, both in the Baltics and beyond, of the PRC's threat in this theater? We've had extensive conversations with our Baltic allies on this subject.
▶ 1:08:56I would also argue that they are advocates for the EU and all of its member states taking uh a similar approach as they evaluate that blocks relationship with China. What can we do to help them? You know, obviously they get it because they're seeing it. We get it, but again, you've got some of these other countries that seem to have their head in the sand. What can we do to help them?
▶ 1:09:18I think continuing information sharing, continuing coordination with like-minded allies in the EU, which is not just confined of course to the Baltics, although they are leading voices on this Well, look, I As I said, I think this is a real issue. These small countries are right next to Russia. I think they're next on the menu if Russia were able to be successful in Ukraine. I think part of the reason why Ukraine matters is that wasn't that wasn't an end point for Putin. That was the beginning point.
▶ 1:09:46And so I appreciate that your work that we're doing and also pointing out the idea that I think that it's now the PRC that is supplying Russia, as you've pointed out, with much of what they need and that they are frankly an enemy of these countries as well. Even though it can seem very, very far away, Russia is the largest country in the world and it's the only country in between China and these states. So thank you for what you do. I appreciate it and and I yield back. Thank you, sir. I now recognize the representative from California, Mr. Costa.
▶ 1:10:16Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and I'm pleased that we're having this hearing uh today. I hope that we will have more focusing on on not only the Baltic states, but Ukraine. It's long overdue uh and it's appropriate and fitting that we focus our attention because I think the Baltic states are model allies. I'm not sure the administration always reflects it that way.
▶ 1:10:38Uh supporting the Baltic states means supporting I think Ukraine and and I think your comments so far this morning confirms that if I if I hear you clearly, Mr. Smith. And I want to thank you. The first time we met, I think I was at a Yalta economic security meeting back in in Kyiv. And I want to thank you for your service to our Uh my colleagues I think are talking about the observations that we need to to have this hearing.
▶ 1:11:06It's pleasing to see all of the ambassadors from the Baltic states here this morning. You're representing your countries and you're representing the best interests of of democratic nations across the country across the world, excuse me. Um I'm sometimes misguided or can't understand what the administration's thinking in terms of our transatlantic partnership. Russia, I would think Mr.
▶ 1:11:31Smith you would agree is our adversary, Russia is certainly the principal challenge that we face in Europe. And so I want to repeat remarks that were made by Secretary of Defense.
▶ 1:11:47It's defense by the way, Heckseth on December 6th in 2025 when he said model allies that step up like Israel, South Korea, Poland, increasingly Germany, and the Baltics, and others will receive our special favor, end quotes. Um you've reiterated that today I think. 5% of their GDP of course is now dedicated to the defense. They've provided over I think 13 to 15% of funding for Ukraine.
▶ 1:12:15Uh and the Baltics are punching above their weight. Um but the administration has recently indicated that they're indefinitely delaying shipments weapon shipments to the Baltic states. Can you explain to me Mr. Smith why these delays are consistent, why Secretary Heckseth's commitment to provide model allies like the Baltics this administration's special favor? We are continuing to provide and deliver on munitions contracted by these critical allies.
▶ 1:12:44In some cases there are certain munitions ammunition and certain munitions that we are unable to provide
▶ 1:12:50the committee with an update in terms of where we are in that in that commitment and and potential shipments. I know obviously this war in Iran has probably had an impact. Uh can you confirm that these contracts are just delayed or you aware that these contracts are being canceled? I would have to defer to the Pentagon on the specifics of each contract. We have
▶ 1:13:11Mr. Smith, I I I understand that. They may refer to the Pentagon. Mr. Chairman, I think we need to find out from the Pentagon whether they're delayed or whether they're canceled. Uh do you think uh troops that are supposed to be moved out of Germany, if that's still the case, uh would be placed in Romania or Poland or somewhere else in the Eastern flank? I would defer to the Department of War and the Joint Staff on the specific
▶ 1:13:34I'm sorry, Mr. Smith. It's Department of Defense. Until Congress changes the name of the department or the agencies, it remains the Department of Defense. I don't care whatever imaginary, illusionary uh thoughts that some of my colleagues may have, it's the law. Um is a weakened Russia in the US national interest? And how would Ukraine victory against Russian invasion impact Putin's thinking toward the Baltics?
▶ 1:14:01We view the security contingencies created by the war as being a major threat to European security. It's why we have dedicated our efforts to negotiating a solution, uh an end to this war, a comprehensive and lasting settlement. And while uh NATO certainly is is and I think I'll I'll give the administration some credit. I I think there's a direct movement. Germany 5% to defense spending.
▶ 1:14:28I think we see a whole change that's been actually pursued by not only this administration but previous Uh in that vein, NATO I think is responsible for largely uh the longest peacetime period in Europe post-World War II 1,000 years. Would you not agree? I would agree. finally, the Baltic Security Initiative.
▶ 1:14:53Can you outline specific activities in the $200 million appropriated under fiscal year '26 being used to fund and how it contributes to Baltic security and our own security? Uh over many years, the Baltic Security Initiative has helped these allies field new capabilities. It's also persuaded them to choose US capabilities as enduring sources for their military over uh and for the future.
▶ 1:15:19And and uh my time's expired, but I do believe that Europe is realizing not only the need to make their commitment for their own defense, but build capacity as we have to look at our own capacity to increase for needs of for our defense. Would you not agree? Very true, sir. Thank you. I now recognize the representative from Texas, Ms. Johnson. Uh thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 1:15:46Um as my colleagues have reiterated, the Baltics have been model allies for the United States. One of the many ways in which they have been good partners has been through the for um through foreign military sales. Between 2022 and 2025, the Baltic states purchased over 1 billion in US weaponry, as well as follow-on funding for maintenance, upgrades, munitions, and life cycle support.
▶ 1:16:12Can you speak to the importance of these systems to deter and defend against a potential Russian invasion of the Baltic states, sir? Thank you very much for the question. These systems have been essential in helping these NATO allies modernize their forces and deploy the capabilities necessary not just to deter Russian aggression in their region, but to strengthen the broader alliance and to make NATO a more credible deterrent alliance uh towards adversaries. Yeah, thank you.
▶ 1:16:39That investment not only deters Russia, but also amounts to tens of millions of dollars flowing back into the US economy, including many jobs in my own district. However, recent reporting says that many of these critical contracted weapons deliveries will be delayed indefinitely because everything is being redirected to the Iran war. Is that right? And do you have an update on when these systems may be delivered?
▶ 1:17:04Certain munitions have been delayed and we've informed allies such as Estonia and Lithuania of this. I would defer to the Pentagon on the specifics of um these key capabilities. And so, in other words, though, but our allies have already paid for these and they face long wait times and now this is all up in the air due to Trump's war of choice in Iran, which as of yesterday has cost us $29 billion.
▶ 1:17:30And here on Capitol Hill, we have bipartisan support for our partnership with the Baltics because the work they are doing to deter Russia makes us So, Mr. Chairman, I'm pleased to announce the introduction of my bill, the Facilitating Operational Readiness Through Inter-Baltics Flexibility, otherwise known as the FORTIFY Act, which would authorize the retransfers of US defense articles and services among the Baltic states without presidential consent.
▶ 1:17:59If we can't deliver the munitions that they need, we should make sure they can move their equipment to give them that operational flexibility, which has strategic implications for stopping Russia. Joining me on this bill are Representatives Wilson, Ranking Member Keating, and Representatives Bacon and Carbajal, who lead the House Baltic Caucus. I'm grateful them for their leadership in this important effort. And Mr.
▶ 1:18:24Chairman, I hope you and the rest of the members of this committee will joining us in supporting this critical piece of of legislation. Thank you, sir, for coming to testify and Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Uh thank you. Uh I thank Mr. Smith for the valuable testimony. Very comprehensive. And the members for their questions. The members of the committee may have some additional questions for you, Mr. Smith. We will ask you to respond to those in writing.
▶ 1:18:52Pursuant to committee rules, all members may have 5 days to submit statements, questions, extraneous materials for the record, subject to length limitations. Without objection, the committee stands adjourned.