Why a narrow corridor between Poland and Lithuania remains one of NATO’s most sensitive strategic vulnerabilities.

A narrow strip of land between Poland and Lithuania has become one of Europe’s most sensitive security flashpoints. Wedged between Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave and Belarus, it forms the principal land link connecting the Baltic states to the rest of NATO. There is no public evidence that a Russian attack is imminent. Still, geography, military exercises and hybrid pressure have ensured that the alliance continues to treat the area as a critical strategic vulnerability.

The Suwałki Gap runs along the Polish-Lithuanian border, between the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to the west and Belarus to the east. Its importance lies not in its size, but in its location. It is the land corridor connecting Poland to Lithuania, and from there to Latvia and Estonia.

NATO regards the area as strategically important, and a U.S.-led multinational force based in Poland trains, among other missions, to defend the region and reinforce the alliance’s northeastern flank in the event of a crisis. In a broader confrontation between Russia and NATO, disruption or closure of the corridor could complicate the movement of troops, armour, ammunition and fuel from Poland into the Baltic states. Its geography adds to the challenge: Russia maintains significant military capabilities in Kaliningrad, while Belarus, Moscow’s closest military ally, sits on the opposite side of the corridor.

The pressure does not require an invasion........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)