School of War

When, Not If: The Baltics Prepare for War

Dienstag, 13. Oktober 2026 · 1 h 04

MP3

Shownotes

In the Baltics, war with Russia is no abstraction. Putin could take Lithuania’s capital if he achieved surprise, the nation’s army commander told Aaron MacLean. This week, Aaron travels through Lithuania and Latvia to speak with Brigadier General Nerijus Stankevičius, Lithuanian defense Minister Robertas Kaunas, and Latvian foreign minister Baiba Braže about why Lithuania is amending its constitution to allow weapons of mass destruction on its soil, what schoolchildren are learning in their war-preparedness exercises, and what each country is doing now to make sure they’re ready if war comes.

— Brig. Gen. Nerijus Stankevičius

— Russia Could Take Vilnius

— How Lithuania Would Fight

— “Never Again”

— Robertas Kaunas, Lithuania’s Defense Strategy

— Drones, AI & the Eastern Flank

— Nuclear Deterrence

— Preparing the Whole Country

— A Message to Putin

— Baiba Braže, Latvia on the Front Line

— Drones Over Latvia

— Joining Latvia’s National Guard

— Russia’s “Sub-Conventional” War

— What If Russia Wins in Ukraine?

— Can Russia Be Pressured Into Peace?

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