To see how seriously Russia's actions have rattled its neighbors, look no further than Poland.
That Poland is preparing to upgrade its submarines wasn't as newsworthy as plans to equip them with long-range cruise missiles like the US Tomahawk.
Poland is a close US ally, but only two nations use the Raytheon-made missile: the United States and Britain.
Confirmation that Warsaw is in talks with Washington and Paris for cruise missiles indicates the seriousness of the situation.
Bullied by Russia for centuries, Poland since the end of the Cold War has joined NATO and the EU on its way to becoming an economic, military and diplomatic power.
And yet, Russia has continued to threaten Poland with both rhetoric and missiles.
Russia's strategy of invading Ukraine and rattling its neighbors with air, land and sea provocations has been a worsening disaster.
Moscow has been hit with sanctions that are damaging its economy, bringing new purpose to the NATO alliance and creating lasting ramifications as nations rearm with ever more powerful capabilities.
Yet Moscow continues its provocative behavior, from violating the recent Ukraine cease-fire to using its aircraft to ratchet up tensions in Europe and the Pacific.
That's why it's so important that NATO both step up its military game by increasing investment and training and get steadily tougher on Moscow until it changes course.
