The Estonian American National Council (EANC), as a member of the Central and East European Coalition (CEEC), recently took part in hosting a virtual panel discussion event featuring prominent experts on transatlantic security.  The event highlighted issues facing NATO ahead of the 2021 NATO summit and consisted of two panels.  The first panel focused on specific challenges faced by nations in central and eastern Europe, and the second looked at issues relevant to U.S. policy regarding the broader region and beyond.  The event was titled CEEC Policy Briefing: Runup to the 2021 NATO Summit and took place on April 22^nd.  The summit is scheduled for June 14^th in Brussels.

Panel 1 clockwise from upper left:  Mr. Greg Melcher, moderator Karin Shuey, LTG (retired) Ben Hodges, Dr. Suzanne Loftus

The first panel addressed security challenges in the Black Sea region, NATO’s open door policy and interoperability challenges, and challenges in securing the Suwalki Corridor.  The expert panelists tackling the issues were Lieutenant General (Retired) Ben Hodges, who currently holds the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and served as Commanding General, United States Army Europe from 2014 to 2017; Mr. Greg Melcher, Chief Operations Officer for the New Generation Warfare Centre and expert in military modeling, simulation, and analysis, recently working extensively with the Romanian government studying the security situation in the Black Sea region; and Dr. Suzanne Loftus, Deputy Chair of the Strategic Initiatives Department and Professor of National Security at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, specializing in Russian foreign and domestic politics and transatlantic security.

Panel 2  clockwise from upper left: Moderator Michael Sawkiw, Ambassador Kurt Volker, Ambassador Richard Morningstar, Mr. Ian Brzezinski.

The second panel looked at bigger picture NATO policy priorities for the CEE region.  Its panelists were  Mr. Ian Brzezinski, resident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO policy; Ambassador Richard Morningstar, Founding Chairman of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center and former U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan and to the European Union; and Ambassador Kurt Volker, Distinguished Fellow at CEPA, former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations, and former U.S. Ambassador to NATO.

The speakers identified many key points that policymakers should keep in mind leading up to the NATO summit.  They expressed concern at the recent decision to recall two U.S. Navy ships that had been sent to the Black Sea during the current buildup of Russian troops along Ukraine’s border.  They noted that the presence of Russian forces in Ukraine does not constitute a de facto veto of the potential for Ukraine to enter the NATO membership process.  They also observed that Western leaders and the Western mindset fall short in understanding Russian President Putin’s logic. They  gave credit to Romania for developing its natural gas reserves and to Turkey for participating in positive cooperation in the region despite its apparent affinity toward the Kremlin.

EANC is a founding member of the CEEC, which was established in 1994.  The coalition brings together eighteen national member organizations representing Americans of central and eastern European descent.  As a group, the CEEC represents over 20 million American voters and gives smaller diaspora population, like the Estonian American community, more leverage as we advocate on issues of mutual interest. EANC’s membership amplifies the voice of Estonians in the U.S. and elevates our visibility and effectiveness in Washington.

The CEEC and EANC are grateful to all the panelists for sharing their views.  The CEEC intends to refer to their observations as it pursues meetings with the Administration to get clarification on U.S. policy for the region, and in its advocacy work on the Hill.  The speakers’ expert assessments are important in validating and informing the CEEC members’ concerns and policy priorities for the region.  The full video of the event is available at CEECAdvocacy.org.