For close to three decades, Latvia, along with the other Baltic countries, has relied on Euro-Atlantic security structures. NATO, the U.S. and to a lesser degree the EU have been instrumental in Latvia’s security and defence, but its own capabilities, especially after 2022, have rapidly become the focal point for the country and its society. Substantial mobilisation of diplomatic, financial and political resources towards geopolitical security over recent years has offset the old perception of Latvia as the weakest link in European defence. The Latvian case clearly demonstrates a ‘red’ traffic light in terms of threat perception, given that the Russian Federation is seen as capable of invading and annexing parts of Latvia. Russia is both seen and named as the main threat to Latvia in the State Defence Concept and hence accelerated preparations to defend the country have been underway for some time.