01054nas a2200229   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260001600043653002100059653003300080653000800113653001200121653000900133653002600142653001200168100002500180700001500205245008000220300001000300490000700310520050700317       2018                            d  cSummer 201810aBaltic Battalion10aDefense Institution Building10aDIB10aGeorgia10aNATO10aPartnership for Peace10aUkraine1 aAlexandra Chinchilla1 aPaul Poast00aDefense Institution Building from Above? Lessons from the Baltic Experience  a61-710 v173 a<p>Defense institution building seeks to create the means and mechanisms that enable effective capability aggregation within NATO. Can external assistance with DIB help states become suitable NATO members? We discuss the post-Cold War experience of the Baltic States to understand the role of external assistance in defense institution building and how this can enable a state to gain NATO membership. We then consider whether lessons in the Baltic experience are applicable to Georgia and Ukraine.</p>