By Liz Holland

Salisbury Mayor Jake Day has returned from a month-long military operation in Estonia and Latvia to support NATO partners in the region.

Day, who is a major in the Army and an information operations officer, did not announce his trip in advance to protect operational security. He has been back in the U.S. for about a week, attending the Jay Copeland concert on Friday night and then heading to Reno, Nev., for a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Estonia and Latvia, neighboring countries on the Baltic Sea, were once under the control of the former Soviet Union, but are now independent and members of both NATO and the European Union.

They both share their eastern borders with Russia which launched an invasion of Ukraine.

The U.S. and other NATO member countries have increased their support of Ukraine by sending troops to neighboring countries in Eastern Europe as well as weapons and supplies.

During his trip, Day said NATO troops participated in a “full-scale demonstration of capabilities,” including firing rockets, with a clear purpose: “It sends a clear message to our adversaries,” he said.

Day has traveled to Estonia before to visit Tartu, Salisbury’s sister city, and was able to meet with Tartu’s mayor again on this trip. The mayor and others he met during the trip never doubted that Russia would one day invade one of its neighbors.

“They’ve lived their entire existence next to an existential threat,” he said.

This was the second time Day was sent overseas since he was elected mayor. His Maryland National Guard unit, the 110th Information Operations Battalion, is on ongoing rotation to support an ongoing effort in Africa and he was deployed there in 2020 for a year, returning in May 2021.

In Africa, Day – who was promoted to the rank of major during his deployment -- worked as an information operations officer with Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa in a 12-country region.

He spent time in Somalia and Djibouti with a focus on fighting violent extremist organizations such as Isis and Al-Shabaab.

Day enlisted in the Army in 2009 before his 2015 election to mayor.

The mayor said he values transparency, but was unable to tell anyone where he was before and during his trip.

“I wish I could have shared this news in advance, but rest assured our team handled this month with aplomb, just as they did during my year in East Africa,” he said. “I thank Salisbury’s patriotic citizens for their patience and understanding as I am called to serve both our community and our country’s best interests."