The city of Vilnius looks like a nice postcard. In the streets of the Lithuanian capital, the historical buildings of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and classic styles follow one another. Very colorful, the city of nearly 550,000 inhabitants is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But since 2021, sky blue and yellow have been hoisted on many official or private facades: here, the Ukrainian flag has floated in each alley. These displayed colors recall that Vilnius is just 30 kilometers from the Belarusian border, which Russia used as a starting point for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. “We are afraid of being the next on the list of Vladimir Putin”testifies Amanda, a 22 -year -old young woman.
One objective: to resume a position occupied by the enemy
To the north, a few kilometers from Kaunas, the cobblestones of the capital give way to sandy land, in the heart of which an immense forest of pines and fir trees is rooted. Close to a military base, the area welcomes, from May 11 to 31, a NATO XXL exercise called “Swift Responsion”, mobilizing 6,000 soldiers. Just for the day of May 16, more than 1,600 soldiers have been dropped for military planes, with the aim of taking up a position occupied by an enemy. “The strength of parachutist units is to be able to act quickly by deploying many fighters in an area”explains a French officer, while the Russian enclave in Kaliningrad, with nearly 30,000 soldiers, is less than 100 kilometers away.
Six nations participate in the exercise, but one attracts all the attention: the United States. After Donald Trump’s aggressive speeches towards the allies and the ambiguities displayed about his support for kyiv, the presence of American uniform soldiers would almost surprise NATO. Because the current tenant of the White House did not hesitate to call into question the American engagement within the Alliance, founded in 1949. “If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them”he said last March, expressing his desire to see the 31 members increase their military spending. At the Munich on security conference, mid-February, US vice-president JD Vance urged Europeans to take charge of their defense while, since Warsaw, the defense secretary Pete Hegseth burst the point: “Invest because you cannot assume that the American presence will last forever. »»
The Americans promise to remain faithful
That day, in the rain in northern Lithuania, they are more than 1,100 American soldiers from the 173rd paratrooper brigade to be dropped at 300 meters above sea level from transport aircraft C-130. A way of reassuring the members of the Alliance? “I think acts are eloquent”answers Major Yohei Sakamoto, American commander in charge of planning NATO operations. “Our involvement has not changed and I promise you that we are not going to slow down the pace, nor change our calendar”warns the officer, at the head of the 4,000 American soldiers mobilized during the twenty days of fiscal year.
According to a diplomatic source, “Swift Response” brings more certainties to the Allies, knowing that the American contribution represents almost 16 % of the NATO budget, making Uncle Sam the first contributing country of the Alliance. “Yes, it reassures us, because article 5 (according to which an attack on a member is considered an attack on all members, editor’s note) largely based on the military force of the Americans, in particular on their nuclear arsenal ”says a diplomat.
Has the perception of the Russian threat evolved on the American side?
Since his inauguration last January, Donald Trump has also started a historical rapprochement with Moscow. A question remains, has the perception of the Russian threat evolved on the American side? “Wherever there is a danger to freedom, for any form of democracy or for anyone’s rights, we try to align ourselves with the right partners to face it”replies Sergeant-Major John Peterson, commander of the 173rd paratrooper brigade. This Thursday, May 16, the Americans will have worked their interoperability with nearly 200 French people, as well as Germans, Lithuanians, Italians and Dutch. “We are here with our allies. The more we train together, the more our preparation state improves ”concludes Major Yohei Sakamoto.
