Located along the narrow strip of beach and woodland called the Vistula Spit, the northernmost boundary separating Poland and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad lacks a well-defined border.

A mere stretch of torn wire fencing and some decaying posts haphazardly jut into the shallow waters of the Baltic Sea.

Underneath a sign forbidding entry, remnants of Russian cognac and vodka bottles can be found.

This place doesn’t feel like the perimeter of NATO territory.

“It doesn’t feel like the edge of NATO territory,” comments Krzysztof from Katowice, who visited to assess the boundary himself.

“We need some form of deterrence, something to indicate we’re reinforcing our military,” says Grzegorz, a local resident.

“At the same time, I believe we shouldn’t solely rely on our army for the country’s defense. I am persuaded that Europe or America, if circumstances arise, will support us 100%.”

Poland is heavily investing in its defense, with military spending projected to reach 4.7% of GDP in 2025, exceeding any other NATO member.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk intends to introduce voluntary military training for individuals of all ages, including women, ensuring that the army would be equipped with a capable reserve force in case of war.

Tusk is investing $2.5 billion in enhanced border fortifications against Russia and Belarus, a project termed East Shield, which will encompass anti-tank barriers, bunkers, and potentially minefields.

Alongside its Baltic neighbors, Poland is moving away from the Ottawa Convention against landmines. While it hasn’t committed to using them, it seeks the option.

We have been granted access to a cornerstone of Polish and European defense, just a couple of hours from the Vistula Spit at Redowicze military base.

Aegis Ashore Poland, alongside its counterpart in Romania, represents the land-based armaments of NATO’s missile defense shield across Europe, operated by the US Navy.

These are symbols of the US commitment to NATO and Europe’ defense.

Despite changes at the helm of the Pentagon, it is “business as usual,” expounds Captain Michael Dwan, overseeing air and missile defense within the US Sixth Fleet.

“Our mission to cooperate with NATO forces remains undiminished. Thus, the US’s commitment to ballistic missile defense and defense of NATO is robustly championed here in Poland.”

For Russia, NATO’s two missile defense bases in Poland and Romania represent a threat at their doorstep, and therefore are “prioritized targets for potential neutralization,” according to Russia’s foreign ministry.

NATO asserts these installations are strictly defensive, with SM-3 interceptor missiles not armed and not intended to carry warheads. Russia counters that they could be easily modified to threaten Russia.

Not the case, says Captain Dwan.

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“Deploying offensive weapons on-site simply is not an option. The hardware and infrastructure for it is not in place, and it would not be feasible to change the mission of this site without considerable time, expense, and readiness,” says an informed source.

With many secrets marked across the site, obtaining access is a remarkable feat.

However, for NATO, transparency is part of deterrence. They want potential adversaries to understand the sophistication of their radar and interception systems.

They are aware that carrying warheads on-site would render them targets, and thus they don’t do so.

Deterrence also pivots on whether potential adversaries believe in the US’s commitment to NATO and Europe’s defense.

At an operational level, in terms of the troops, that commitment may possibly remain robust.

Yet, considering its commander-in-chief, there remains substantial uncertainty mirroring aspects of Donald Trump’s presidency.

In the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon, President Trump contemplated bundling a possible US troop reduction in Europe with trade and tariff issues.

“Nice to wrap it up in one package,” he mused, “it’s nice and tidy.”

Probably not the perspective from Europe, particularly with a resurgent Russia at their doorstep, economic stakes stirring discord, and the idea of Pax Americana seeming to crumble at their feet.