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The NATO Defense Minister has agreed on a new master plan to withstand any potential Russian attacks on multiple fronts, reiterating NATO’s core goal of deterring Moscow in the context of growing attention to China.
The secrecy strategy aims to prepare for any simultaneous attacks in the Baltic and Black Sea regions, which may include nuclear weapons, computer network hacking, and attacks from space.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said after Thursday’s meeting: “We will continue to strengthen our alliance through better and more modern programs.” They also agreed to set up a $1 billion fund to develop new Digital technology to provide seed funding.
Officials emphasized that they do not think Russia is about to launch any attacks. Moscow denied any aggressive intentions and stated that it was NATO that could destabilize Europe through such preparations.
But diplomats said that as Russia develops advanced weapon systems and deploys troops and equipment closer to the borders of allies, the “Euro-Atlantic Deterrence and Defense Concept” and its strategic implementation plan are necessary.
“This is a way of deterrence,” German Defense Minister Annegrett Kramp-Karenbauer said of the plan.
“This is adapting to Russia’s current behavior-we have seen violations of the airspace of especially Baltic countries, but also increasingly invading the Black Sea,” she told German radio station Deutschlandfunk.
A U.S. official stated that the approval allows for a more detailed regional plan by the end of 2022, so that NATO can decide what additional weapons it needs and how to deploy its forces.
May, Russia Gathered about 100,000 soldiers Western officials say this is the highest number since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014. In September, Russia used a new type of combat robot in a large-scale military exercise with Belarus, its former Soviet alliance friend, which shocked the Baltic allies.
Russia is upgrading or replacing the Soviet military space system to possibly attack satellites in orbit, developing artificial intelligence-based technologies to disrupt the Allied command system, and developing “super weapons.”
They were launched in 2018 and include nuclear-capable hypersonic cruise missiles that can evade early warning systems.
Ben Hodges, a retired U.S. general who commanded U.S. forces in Europe from 2014 to 2017, said he hopes the plan will promote greater consistency in NATO’s collective defense, which means more resources for the Black Sea region.
“For me, this is a more likely flashpoint than the Baltic Sea,” Hodges told Reuters, noting that Britain and France have fewer major allies in the Black Sea, while Turkey is more focused on conflict in Syria.
The former senior NATO official of the European Friends of Europe think tank in Brussels, Jamie Shei, said the plan may also help to consolidate attention to Russia, as major allies are seeking to strengthen their presence in the Indo-Pacific region and counter China’s rising military. strength.
“So far, people have thought that Russia is a trouble, but not an imminent threat. But the Russians are doing something worrying. They are practicing robotics, and hypersonic cruise missiles can indeed be very destructive,” Shay said.
“Lessons Learned” from Afghanistan
At the same time, after some allies criticized the US for handling the withdrawal decision, the coalition is reviewing the “lessons learned” of its two-year deployment in Afghanistan.
“The Afghan crisis has not changed the need for Europe and North America to unite in NATO,” Stoltenberg said.
“In the face of increasingly severe global challenges, our unity and strength are the guarantee of our safety.”
Stoltenberg stated that coalition members will seek to continue to exert pressure on the Taliban through diplomatic and financial “leverage” and have the ability to attack any emerging threats “from a distance”.
The collapse of Afghanistan aroused calls for the European Union to develop its own military capabilities, while France took the lead in promoting more “autonomy.”
But this has caused other European NATO allies to keep their distance from the United States. They believe that the United States is the main bastion against Russia.
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