Rather than hiding their defenses, these countries want potential adversaries to see and understand the obstacles ahead, as this forces enemies to slow down, choose predictable routes and reveal their movements, making them easier to target, The Baltic Sentinel wrote.

This approach mirrors tactics already playing out on the Ukraine-Russia front, where visible trenches and obstacles shape the battlefield.

The fortifications are not designed to completely stop an invasion, but to delay and channel attackers, allowing the defensive side to dictate the terms of engagement and thus choose where and how fighting will happen.

Visible fortifications may also force the enemy to bring in heavy engineering equipment, further slowing their advance and increasing their vulnerability.

Some elements of the defense line, such as concrete anti-tank "dragon's teeth" or minefields, are meant to be deployed closer to conflict. "But the core infrastructure must be in place early," the journal wrote. "Every hour of delay during wartime carries a cost."

This is why military planners stress that these defense lines should be treated as "time-sensitive infrastructure," the most critical components of which must be completed in peacetime.

However, static defenses alone won't provide protection; they also require sufficient firepower and motivated troops.

Read the full analysis in the original article by The Baltic Sentinel here. 

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