MILAN — NATO’s eastern flank readiness remains uneven despite major financial commitments, as persistent mobility and decision-making vulnerabilities threaten rapid troop movements during wartime, a new report found.
The findings were highlighted in the 2026 Annual Battle Readiness on the Eastern Flank, published last week by the Bratislava-based think tank Globsec. The report used what it called a decision-making timeline index (DMTI) to assess the execution speed of countries located on NATO’s eastern border in an imminent crisis, based on legal triggers, decision-chains, authority, and the capability to move forces and host allies.
“We found a clear divide: pre-delegated systems (Finland, Estonia, Poland) versus systems based on more sequential frameworks — our core assumption being that deterrence depends on decisions being taken within hours, not days,” Tomas Nagy, senior research fellow at Globsec and one of the authors of the report, told Breaking Defense.
In the case of Finland, the report found that it represents the European gold standard for strategic planning, primarily because its emergency powers are pre-authorized via contingency legislation that empowers authorities to adopt extraordinary measures immediately upon reaching established trigger events.
“[Finnish] legal frameworks allow allied forces to move, stage, and operate with minimal additional political authorization once preparedness levels are elevated and decision-making is highly centralized,” it said.
The conclusions were similar in Estonia’s assessment, where its streamlined crisis governance model has been directly shaped by risk awareness and significant exposure to hybrid pressure.
However, regarding Hungary and Slovakia, Globsec found more weaknesses. Budapest’s contingency planning is heavily dependent on government decrees, which the report notes generally require ratification or re-authorization and are often politically disputed.
Nagy explained that Slovakia, too, should implement clearer reaction triggers and pre-authorized authorities to enable faster military responses to hybrid threats and drone incidents.
“We further found that sustainment in [many Eastern Flank countries] is the real and serious gap: maintenance capabilities, logistical limitations stemming from poor transportation infrastructure — we see mobility as a combat enabler and infrastructure-transit needs attention and sustained investments,” he added.
The Mobility Issue
A multitude of projects are ongoing to enhance connection and unify military corridors across Eastern European countries. The largest railway construction initiative is Rail Baltica: a 870-kilometre network seeking to eventually connect Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with Poland, with a total price tag of over €15 billion.
The link, which will replace the Russian 1,520 mm track gauge, will be essential for moving supplies and heavy equipment from Western Europe to the eastern flank during wartime. However, as the Globsec report identified, this plan, along with others, faces several issues, including significant delays and financial burdens.
Regarding Rail Baltica, the chair of the Latvian inquiry committee stated during a visit to Estonia last year that the 2030 deadline for completing their section of the railway will not be met. Instead, citing major funding issues as reported by Estonian broadcaster ERR, the Latvian portion of the project is expected to be completed closer to 2035. The hold-up occurred against a backdrop of significant security threats from Russia, according to the Latvian security agencies.
