Back NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Danish NATO-Battlegroup German Plan d'action « réactivité » de l'OTAN French NATO Enhanced Forward Presence NB NATO Forward Presence Polish Расширенное передовое присутствие НАТО Russian EFP Ukrainian
Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) is a NATO-allied forward-deployed defense and deterrence military force in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. This posture in Northern Europe through Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and in Central Europe through Poland, Slovakia and Hungary and in Eastern Europe through Romania and Bulgaria, is in place to protect and reassure the security of NATO's Northern, Central and Eastern European member states on NATO's eastern flank.[1][2]
Following Russia's invasion of Crimea, NATO's member states agreed at the 2016 Warsaw summit to forward deploy four multinational battalion battle groups to areas most likely to be attacked.[3]
The numbers involved, although a notable supplement to the armed forces of the country being defended, are limited so that they avoid seeming to threaten Russia. The chief value of the force is that it is impossible to invade Poland or the Baltic States without battling the soldiers and firing on the flags of the involved NATO states, giving cause for war. It is believed that the prospect of war with all those countries will deter aggression.[citation needed]
The original four multinational battalion battle groups are based in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, and led by the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and the United States respectively.[4]
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO members agreed to establish four more multinational battalion battle groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia led by Italy, Hungary, France, Czech Republic respectively at 2022 Madrid Summit.[5]
| Country | Location | Leading state | Participants as of November 2022[update][5] | Troops (approx.)[A][6][7] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bulgaria |
Kabile |  Italy |
Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Turkey, United States | 1,650[8][A] |
 Estonia |
Tapa |  United Kingdom |
Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, United States | 2,200 |
 Hungary |
Tata | Hungary |
Croatia, Italy, Montenegro, Turkey, United States | 1,054[A] |
 Latvia |
Ādaži |  Canada |
Albania, Czech Republic, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,[9][10] United States | 4,000 |
 Lithuania |
Rukla |  Germany |
Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Iceland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, United States | 3,700 |
 Poland |
Orzysz |  United States |
Croatia, Romania, United Kingdom | 11,600 |
 Romania |
Cincu |  France |
Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, United States | 4,700 |
 Slovakia |
Lešť |  Spain |
Czech Republic, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, United States | 1,100[A] |
The troops serving in the multinational battalion battle groups rotate every six months and train and operate with their host nations' militaries.
- ^ https://shape.nato.int/efp [bare URL]
- ^ https://mncne.nato.int/forces/nato-enhanced-forward-presence [bare URL]
- ^ "NATO war game defends Baltic weak spot for first time". EURACTIV MEDIA NETWORK BV. 19 June 2017.
- ^ "Boosting NATO's presence in the east and southeast". NATO.
- ^ a b "NATO's military presence in the east of the Alliance". NATO. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ "NATO's Forward Presence, November 2022" (PDF). NATO. November 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2022/3/pdf/2203-map-det-def-east.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "NATO's multinational battlegroup in Bulgaria reaches full capability".
- ^ "Sweden is ready to deploy a combat battalion in Latvia | Aizsardzības ministrija".
- ^ "Försvarsmakten ska förbereda styrkebidrag till Lettland". 26 April 2024.