Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Welcome! Log in to stay connected and make the most of your experience.

Input clean

Lithuania: Committed to 2 Percent

The Baltic countries – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – are increasing their defense spending. Estonia already spends 2 percent of its GDP on defense – the NATO spending goal. Latvia and Lithuania plan to hit 2 percent in the coming years. The Cipher Brief’s Kaitlin Lavinder spoke with Lithuanian Ambassador to the U.S. Rolandas Kriščiūnas about why the region is emphasizing defense and what his country is doing to bolster security.

The Cipher Brief: IHS Markit recently came out with its annual defense spending report, and it showed that the Baltics is the fastest growing region, having doubled defense spending from 2014-2016. Why is there this rapid increase?

Keep reading...Show less
Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.

Related Articles

The Real Impact of a Nuclear Bomb

FINE PRINT / OPINION — “This report explores the environmental effects and societal and economic consequences that would be expected to follow in the [...] More

As Taiwan Launches Military Drills, a Pressing Question for Washington

As Taiwan Launches Military Drills, a Pressing Question for Washington

TAIPEI, TAIWAN —Taiwan’s annual military exercise launching this week, will be its largest ever, mobilizing more than 22,000 reservists in response [...] More

Report for Tuesday, July 8, 2025

7:54 America/Chicago Tuesday, July 8 [...] More

U.S. Cyber Defense Starts with Defining Standards and Driving Collaboration

OPINION — President Donald J. Trump has returned to office with the renewed revelations that Chinese government-affiliated hackers continue to [...] More

Expert Q&A: What to Watch for at the Trump-Netanyahu Meeting

EXPERT Q&A — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington D.C. on Monday to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House — [...] More

Report for Monday, July 7, 2025

8:03 America/Chicago Monday, July 7 [...] More

Can President Trump Get a "Big, Beautiful" Deal in the Middle East?

Can President Trump Get a "Big, Beautiful" Deal in the Middle East?

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – When Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump meet at the White House Monday, they will bring different ideas for resolving two [...] More

To Counter China, Reform U.S. Intelligence for the Digital Age

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION -- The United States is facing a quiet and rapidly growing threat across the digital landscape, an unseen mathematical [...] More

Report for Friday, July 4, 2025

8:27 America/Chicago Friday, July 4 [...] More