Speaking during a press conference with his Estonian counterpart, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Obama said: “We have Article 5 duties to our collective defense. That is a commitment that is unbreakable, it is unwavering, it is eternal – Estonia will never stand alone. As president I have made sure we are fulfilling that promise.
“Early in my presidency I urged our alliance to update our contingency planning for the defence of this region and additional NATO forces began rotating through the Baltics.
“In response to Russian actions in Ukraine earlier this year the United States increased our presence further, contributing additional aircraft to the Baltic Air Policing Mission
Today I can announce the initiative will include additional air force units"
“We're now continually rotating additional personnel and aircraft through the Baltics
“Today I can announce the initiative will include additional air force units and aircraft for training exercises in the Nordic-Baltic region and we agree with our Estonian allies that an ideal location to host and support these exercises is the Amari airbase here in Estonia. With the support of Congress and our Estonian friends I'm confident we can make this happen.”
Later in the day Obama is due to meet with all three Baltic presidents.
