As tensions rise along NATO’s northeastern flank, the Baltic states face an uneasy contradiction: they have strengthened defenses, expanded allied deployments, and taken an increasingly assertive stance toward Moscow, yet significant gaps remain in infrastructure, air defense, and regional preparedness. With Russia testing the alliance through hybrid pressure and Washington sending mixed signals about the certainty of Article 5, the central question is no longer whether Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are preparing for confrontation, but whether the broader NATO system would respond quickly and decisively if that preparation were put to the test.