According to Politico, in the coming months, NATO will make additional efforts to deploy troops and equipment to the eastern flank and deploy tens of thousands of troops capable of deploying to the relief of allied states on short notice. The move is aimed at preventing Russia from extending the war beyond Ukraine, the publication points out.
Alliance officials estimate this will require up to 300,000 troops. The first tier of troops could be around 100,000 troops ready to move within 10 days. It may include military personnel from Poland, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, says Horst-Heinrich Braus, NATO’s former assistant secretary general for defense policy. The second echelon is designed to support the first and should be ready to ship from countries like Germany within 10 to 30 days, the publication said.
However, for a successful implementation of the plan, the alliance must convince each country to provide various elements – from military personnel and structures for their training to infrastructure and a large quantity of expensive weapons, uniforms and ammunition, writes Politico.
With countries already worried about insufficient ammunition stocks and Kyiv desperately needing a continued supply of ammunition and weapons from allies, there is a risk that all NATO countries may not be able to deliver on their promises under the new alliance plans, it is noted below.
As Politico points out, this is a challenge that could become a permanent problem for NATO, given that Russia’s war against Ukraine is now in its second year. This spring, the nations of the alliance will present updated regional plans for the defense of NATO, it is reported later.
Source: delfi
