“The visit of James Mattis to our region shows that we have allies, and that the defense cooperation between the U.S. and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania is strong,” Estonian defense minister Margus Tsahkna (IRL) said.

After a work lunch the ministers will visit the General Silvestras Žukauskas training area in Pabradė, where they will meet with representatives of the U.S. and Lithuanian defense forces as well as the NATO battle group stationed in Lithuania.

The United States is one of the most important strategic partners and allies in backing the security of the Baltic states. As of 2014, the military presence of the U.S. in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania has substantially increased due to the changed security situation in Europe.