On an unknown date, between late August and the first week of September, the Defense Department notified European nations that a military support program called Section 333 would be completely eliminated.
The security assistance was designated to countries that border Russia and are at risk of armed aggression, as Poland had witnessed on September 10 when Russia violated its airspace. The nature of the security assistance included the training of personnel and equipment to the allied countries.
The notification, if a tangible action by the Trump administration, would be illegal, as the cuts would need to be passed by Congress.
As an immediate consequence, Lithuania has hinted that it will step up its funding for the Baltic Security Initiative program, which is also being reviewed by the Defense Department for cuts.
These cuts come despite Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia respecting Trump’s and NATO’s goal of annual defense expenditures amounting to 5% of GDP for all North Atlantic Treaty Organization members.
