The Baltic Security Initiative is now officially ensconced in the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act at a level of $175 million.
The act, which was signed into law by President Trump on December 18, will deepen “security cooperation with the military forces of the Baltic countries” and “achieve United States national security objectives by deterring aggression by the Russian Federation; implementing NATO’s Strategic Concept.”
Following overwhelming Senate passage of the bill on October 9, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the NDAA on December 10 by a vote of 312-112. The Senate voted again, 77-20, on December 17 to approve this amended measure, before sending it to the White House for a final signature.
This is a vital step for U.S.-Baltic security cooperation and ensuring increased defense against a rogue Russia.
Leslie Shedd of the Atlantic Council noted in The Washington Times on December 15: “Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are exactly the kinds of allies America needs in Europe. By fully authorizing and funding the Baltic Security Initiative in this year’s NDAA, Congress is creating American jobs, boosting the U.S. economy, sending an important message of deterrence to Russia, and making clear to our allies that those who invest in their own defense will benefit from American might.”
What’s next for security assistance funding for the Baltic countries? There are two important steps to follow. First is passing Foreign Military Financing (FMF) assistance funding, which supplements BSI programs between the United States and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The other is defense appropriations, to allocate actual funds for the BSI.
Speed in passing these measures is crucial. A new government shutdown looms ahead of the January 30 deadline to pass remaining budget items. The current Continuing Resolution came into force on November 12, ending last year’s lapse in appropriations. However, seven spending bills need to be passed in just a few short weeks.
An initial omnibus package is being finalized this week. A second omnibus of three spending bills (one affecting State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs – SFOPS) will be addressed next week. The State bill, as it is referred to, contains funding for FMF.
Within the House version of SFOPS, $10 million is budgeted for each of the Baltic states. There is no public Senate version of the bill. For Estonia, $9.8 million was allocated for FMF in FY24. There is word that Estonia is in line for an allocation of $17.5 million in the new bill.
Defense and Homeland Security bills will be addressed last. If Congress does not pass these by the deadline, there will likely be a new Continuing Resolution, which would delay new funding.
Following authorization in the NDAA, the BSI is on solid footing in the Defense Appropriations bill. The Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC) is encouraging Members of Congress to include funding for Baltic security assistance at $260 million, as outlined in the Senate version of the Defense appropriations bill. This is in the final version of the FY2026 Department of Defense Appropriations Act.
Over the past three years, the U.S. Congress has appropriated $225 million (FY23), $228 million (FY24), and $231 million (FY25) for the Baltic Security Initiative.
The bipartisan Baltic Security Assessment Act of 2025 (H.R.5543) was introduced on September 23 by Representatives Wesley Bell (D-Missouri) and Don Bacon (R-Nebraska). As of January 7, 67 co-sponsors had signed up to support the bill. It requires the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, to submit a report on emerging threats posed to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The report would raise “opportunities to enhance bilateral and multilateral defense cooperation between the United States and the Baltic countries; and recommendations for strengthening the deterrence posture, cybersecurity infrastructure, and democratic resilience of the Baltic countries.”
In the most recent appeal from the American Latvian Association Call to Action (CTA), Baltic Americans and friends of the Baltics are asked to send messages to their elected officials in Congress asking them to support appropriating the BSI as part of the Defense Appropriations bill. By requiring matching funds from the Baltics to purchase American-made armaments, the program strengthens interoperability with our forces and amplifies our own military effectiveness. Along with sustained U.S. troop deployments in the Baltics, the BSI is a cost-effective deterrent against Moscow’s aggression that otherwise risks a conflict significantly more costly to U.S. interests in Europe and beyond.
The CTA also urges Members of Congress to help pass the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, to force Russia to end its ruthless invasion of Ukraine. The bill has received overwhelming support in both the Senate and the House. There are concerns that expediency to gain peace will impose terms on Ukraine that would reward Moscow’s murderous aggression. Appeasement will lead to more acts of aggression from Putin’s war machine against the Baltics, NATO allies, and the United States. The Putin regime must be held accountable for the crimes against humanity it has inflicted and provide war reparations for the destruction it has caused. Ukraine needs credible security guarantees, and Ukraine’s full territorial integrity should be upheld.
Members of Congress are also asked to join the respective bipartisan Baltic Caucuses in the House and Senate. These are forums for congressional offices to engage on issues central to the U.S.-Baltic relationship. The caucuses now stand at 150 members (121 in the House, and 29 in the Senate).
Your help is needed. To contact your Members of Congress and to take action, please sign up for the CTA at: https://alausa.org/en/our-work/civic-participation/.
JBANC has announced its next Baltic Advocacy Days, March 16-18, in Washington, DC. Registration will open the week of January 12. Please visit the newly relaunched JBANC website at: https://jbanc.org.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Karl Altau, JBANC
In Memory of the Former Political Prisoner Mart Niklus, Viewed Through the Hopes and Fears of Modern-Day Central and Eastern Europe