NATO has for years deployed multinational forces in the Baltic states and Poland to deter Russian attacks on the eastern flank. The U.S. leads the multinational presence in Poland, while the U.K. heads up NATO’s footprint in Estonia and Canada oversees alliance forces in Latvia.

While the U.S. has taken part in previous iterations of the military exercise, this year's U.S. footprint was smaller as allied nations are pressed by the Trump administration to put more into European defense.

Enhancing the growth contribution of Europe’s defense industry is crucial for ensuring the sustainability of rising defense budgets.

Canada is not turning away from the United States but is reinforcing the northern shield that protects both continents.

Marco Rubio said the talks were “very worthwhile” and constituted the most productive day in “a very long time.”

Another senior Pentagon official visited the Powidz Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 worksite recently, underscoring its critical role in

Beyond Europe, South Korea’s defense exports to the Middle East have tripled over the past five years. This reflects the Middle East’s diversification away from the United States – Asian and European exporters made gains at the United States’ expense – and overall increased military spending in the context of the ongoing regional wars.