How Will New NATO Command Posts Affect EU Security?

In early 2015, NATO announced that it would establish six command units in Eastern Europe, namely in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania. The command units are expected to begin operating by July 2016.

According to a poll conducted by Britain’s Populus on behalf of Sputnik International News Agency and Radio, one in every five Germans (21%) is concerned by the issue of national security in relation to the potential deployment of NATO command posts in their country. Ironically, almost one-third of Bulgarians (32%) are confident that the new NATO command posts in Eastern Europe will make their country less safe as well. The highest percentage of those who view the deployment as enhancing their security was recorded in Poland (49%), followed by Hungary with 38%. In the United States, likewise, 42% percent of respondents believe that Europe will be better off with more NATO command posts.