More money, more members, more weapons, more soldiers in Eastern Europe and many more soldiers in a higher state of readiness: NATO undergoes the biggest revision since the end of the Cold War. Thanks to Vladimir Putin, of course. A new concept for the mutual division of tasks harks back to the Cold War itself: countries are once again given joint responsibility for the defense of part of the eastern border.
At a two-day summit in Madrid, the alliance pledged to support Ukraine. “As long as it takes,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said. “Whatever it takes,” said Prime Minister Rutte. The Netherlands and Germany each announced the delivery of three more armored howitzers, and NATO promised Kiev a support package including anti-drone systems, fuel and communications equipment.
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NATO was brimming with confidence in Madrid. Sweden and Finland were welcomed after Turkey swallowed its veto. The budget for NATO itself is going up, and more importantly, NATO countries are spending hundreds of billions more on defense.
For years, NATO argued over the large number of countries that underspending on defense and failed to meet the NATO target of 2 percent gross domestic product. Soon a large part of the countries will meet this standard. Two percent is even an outdated norm for some: the United Kingdom would like to talk about even higher expenditure. NATO also gave itself a new strategic concept, calling Russia a threat and China a challenge.
“It will be a historic and far-reaching summit for our alliance,” host Stoltenberg promised on Wednesday morning. “We come together amid the most serious security crisis since World War II. We will decide at this summit on the biggest overhaul of our collective defense.”
US stronger presence in Europe
The US, the ally that carries the most weight by far, announced that it would once again strengthen its presence in Europe. Washington has already increased the number of soldiers in Europe by 20,000 to more than 100,000 since the Russian invasion. President Joe Biden announced that the US is now also establishing a military headquarters in Poland and stationing a battalion there. A rotating American combat unit arrives in Romania. In the Baltic countries, the US will be present with special forces and air defense, among other things. Two squadrons of F35 fighters are additionally stationed in the UK. An additional 625 soldiers will be added to Germany, including those charged with anti-aircraft defenses.
A recent NATO map shows how the alliance’s eastern border is currently being defended. If you add the armed forces of the border countries to the units that allies have directed to the east, you come to more than 325,000 soldiers in total. The allies provide 40,000 soldiers.
NATO full of confidence: new members, more money, new strategic concept
In order to be able to guarantee a robust defense in the coming years, the eastern border will be further strengthened and the working method adapted. Germany supplies the model for this. Berlin has been supporting Lithuania for years with a battlegroup. A (much larger) brigade will soon be deployed for this. A headquarters, accommodations and heavy equipment will also be stationed in Lithuania. Germany will be responsible for that area and the military will also practice there regularly. But the brigade will not be stationed there, but will remain in Germany. The Baltic countries did not consider that concept safe enough, but eventually agreed.
The Netherlands has been working closely with Germany in Lithuania for years. Minister Ollongren (Defence, D66) agrees with the German approach and is considering releasing more Dutch soldiers for Lithuania in the coming years.
It is, said Ollongren in Madrid, “a good plan. It means we will send more people and equipment that way. We are now going to work out with the Germans what our share will be.” That consultation will take some time, the minister thinks.
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Stoltenberg not only announced a new concept for the defense of Europe, but he also promised a rapid reaction force of 300,000 soldiers. Many at NATO headquarters were surprised when he came out with the number on Monday afternoon. Three hundred thousand? That is seven times as much as the current 40,000 rapidly deployable power. Where do those soldiers come from?
NATO, Stoltenberg explained on Wednesday evening, has been working for some time on a new organization to increase its clout. This also includes a new NATO Force Model (NFM). The military personnel that countries offer to NATO are subdivided into various readiness steps in that new plan. The first step (Tier 1) means that a unit must be deployable between 0 and 10 days. A second group is given ten to thirty days. And Tier 3 has longer than a month. If you add up the fastest levels, you get about 300,000. The planning for the system is still in full swing, but Stoltenberg hopes that the rapid deployment will be a fact next year.
Mmv Oumaima Abalhaj
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