Jim Mattis, in Lithuania, Reaffirms U.S. Commitment to NATO.
PABRADE, Lithuania — If a shooting war ever breaks out between Russia and the NATO alliance, it could well be in a place like Pabrade, a little town near the edge of a little nation. But a different sort of conflict, waged with bytes rather than bullets, is already being fought here.
Jim Mattis, the American secretary of defense, visited this Lithuanian town on Wednesday to see how NATO is faring in that fight, and his guide was a German officer who has been a target in that war, falsely accused of being a rapist and a Russian spy.
“What’s the spirit of your troops?” Mr. Mattis asked, walking past camouflaged tanks as soldiers with green-painted faces stood at attention.
He was assured by his guide, Lt. Col. Christoph Huber, commander of the German battalion that recently took up station here, that morale could not be higher. . .
Standing with President Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania at the presidential palace on Wednesday, Mr. Mattis said, “Have no doubt that we stand with you united in a common cause.”
Ms. Grybauskaite described Mr. Mattis as “a good friend of Lithuania,” saying that “he understands the threats facing us” and that “we can trust him.”
During his Senate confirmation hearings, Mr. Mattis described the NATO alliance as essential. But he has also said since then that the amount of American support for the alliance could depend on whether other member countries meet their commitments on military spending. In that regard, the Baltic nations “rightly stand as an example for all NATO allies,” Mr. Mattis said, because they have rapidly expanded their military budgets.'>>>
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/10/world/europe/jim-mattis-nato-us-lithuania.html?
