US commander has not said that NATO is unable to defend Baltics - US Army Europe

The commander of US ground forces in Europe, General Ben Hodges, in an interview with German media earlier, has not said that NATO is unable to defend the Baltic nations; rather, he had discussed the difficulties which the scenario would present, said US Army Europe spokesman John Tomassi in an interview with BNS.

He said that Hodges in an interview with the German-language weekly Die Zeit had spoken about the compatibility problems discovered during the recent Anaconda 16 military exercise in Poland. "He did not point at NATO's inability to defend the Baltic States, but illustrated compatibility challenges," stated Tomassi.

Hodges believes that a Russian attack on the Baltics is unlikely, but NATO should prepare itself for a variety of situations, he said.

"Russia could take over the Baltic States faster than we would be able to defend them," Hodges was quoted as saying in Die Zeit on Thursday.

The weekly also reported that the general said he agreed with an assessment by military analysts that Russian forces could conquer the capitals of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia within 36 to 60 hours. Hodges also said NATO forces had found numerous deficiencies during the recent Anaconda military exercise, according to the article from Thursday's edition of Die Zeit released early to AFP.

The Latvian Defense Ministry did not comment on the article, stressing that republished interviews often are distorted or shortened.