The Patriot Files Forums  

Go Back   The Patriot Files Forums > Military News > NATO

Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 06-27-2022, 04:29 PM
Boats's Avatar
Boats Boats is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sauk Village, IL
Posts: 21,784
Exclamation NATO chief previews major force increase expected to pass at ‘transformative’ summit

NATO chief previews major force increase expected to pass at ‘transformative’ summit
By: John Vandiver - Stars Stripes - 06-27-22
Re: https://www.stripes.com/theaters/eur...3098-296839051

Photo link: https://www.stripes.com/incoming/1a0...ATOphoto01.jpg
A Pennsylvania Army National Guard soldier mans a Paladin at an exercise May 16, 2022, in Pabrade, Lithuania. The Paladin was taken from pre-positioned stocks for the exercise. Initiatives on the table at the upcoming NATO summit in Madrid include more pre-positioned weaponry and air defenses. (Zane Craig/U.S. Army National Guard)

Leaders of NATO countries meeting in Madrid this week will agree to a more than sevenfold increase its quick-reaction force as well as take a series of other steps to thicken defenses in the east, the top alliance official said Monday.

The response force now stands at roughly 40,000 troops, but that number will swell to more than 300,000, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on the eve of Madrid Summit.

Describing the summit as “transformative,” Stoltenberg also said allies will adopt a new strategic concept that will guide NATO’s direction in the coming years.

“Together, this constitutes the biggest overhaul of our collective deterrence and defense since the Cold War,” he said.

Events in Ukraine, where Russia launched a full-fledged war in February, have prompted allies to take steps to better reinforce countries to the east and be able to respond faster in the event of Russian aggression on NATO turf.

The new strategic concept will state the obvious: that Russia is NATO’s top security threat. And for the first time, China’s military rise will also be accounted for in the strategy document, Stoltenberg said.

The summit will bring the first official update to NATO’s strategic concept since 2010, when allies characterized Russia as a potential partner and the war in Afghanistan was on the top of the NATO agenda.

President Joe Biden will lead discussions in Madrid, where the prospective NATO membership of Finland and Sweden also will be under discussion.

It’s not yet clear whether the two countries will be invited into the alliance during talks, given Turkish opposition. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with his Finnish and Swedish counterparts in Madrid to work toward a resolution, Stoltenberg said.

On troop increases along NATO’s eastern flank, allies now appear inclined toward making incremental adjustments rather than overhauling how forces operate in the region.

One measure likely to be agreed to is expanding the size of multinational battlegroups in the east to brigade-size levels, Stoltenberg said. While he didn’t specify how many troops that would involve, brigades generally range between 3,000 and 5,000 people.

2nd photo link: https://www.stripes.com/incoming/did...ATOphoto02.jpg

Pennsylvania Army National Guard soldiers drive vehicles from an area for pre-positioned stock May 10, 2022, in Pabrade, Lithuania. Initiatives on the table at the upcoming NATO summit in Madrid include more pre-positioned weaponry and air defenses. (Zane Craig/U.S. Army National Guard)
[LOOKS LKE WERE IN NOW}

However, only some of NATO’s eight current battlegroups would get such a boost, Stoltenberg said. While he didn’t provide a breakdown of the troop increases, he said Lithuania is one of the countries likely to get a boost.

Other initiatives on the table involve more pre-positioned weaponry and air defenses as well as updated defense plans that pair forces to defend specific allies in the east, Stoltenberg said.

“These troops will exercise together with home defense forces, and they will become familiar with local terrain, facilities and our new pre-positioned stocks so that they can respond smoothly and swiftly to any emergency,” Stoltenberg said.

Allies are gathering in Madrid as defense expenditures continue to rise in NATO. For the eighth consecutive year, European members and Canada collectively spent more, Stoltenberg said.

Nine members also reached the NATO benchmark that calls for dedicating 2% of GDP to national defense budgets.

For the U.S., getting allies to pay more has long been top priority, especially during the administration of former President Donald Trump, who routinely blasted members states such as Germany for failing to invest enough in the defense of Europe.

Stoltenberg said 19 of NATO’s 30 members now have plans to get to the 2% mark by 2024 and five others soon thereafter.

“Two percent is increasingly considered a floor, not a ceiling,” Stoltenberg said.

About this writer: John covers U.S. military activities across Europe and Africa. Based in Stuttgart, Germany, he previously worked for newspapers in New Jersey, North Carolina and Maryland. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Personal note: It looks like we have weapons in there and personel now. We've
committed ourselves to how big a diegree I don't have a clue - but were in it!
How many NATO troops are there as well I have no clue. I wonder how long we
will be there - God Help Us - another insurgence and policing (I doubt its policing)?
Let's see how this plays out - before China jumps in. Getting nervous!
-
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 02:33 PM.


Powered by vBulletin, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.