NATO is planning to dramatically increase the number of its combat units amid tensions with Russia, the daily Die Welt reported on Saturday, citing a confidential planning document it obtained from the German Defense Ministry.
Entitled the Minimum Capability Requirements, it was reportedly written by two top commanders of the US-led bloc: American General Christopher Cavoli, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and French Admiral Pierre Vandier, who is responsible for the bloc’s doctrinal and transformation issues.
The document outlines the basic requirements NATO has to fulfill if it plans to defend every centimeter of its territory in a potential conflict with Moscow, Die Welt said.
Cavoli and Vandier explain that the current number of the bloc’s combat brigades is insufficient for this task and should be increased from 82 to 131.
Under German army standards, the strength of such new formations should be around 5,000 soldiers each, the newspaper said, without explaining if the NATO strategy paper outlined any specific requirements.
The number of corps and divisions is also to be increased from six to 15 and from 24 to 38 respectively, according to the document.
The number of ground-based air defense units equipped with systems such as US-made Patriots or the German-made IRIS-T should be expanded five-fold from 293 to 1467, the outlet said.
Each of the 32 NATO members would reportedly have to contribute to these new minimum capabilities depending on its population. It is unclear how quickly NATO countries would be able to meet the new requirements.
According to Die Welt, the German Armed Forces – the Bundeswehr – currently has eight combat brigades and one more is being formed. Berlin plans to field one more brigade by 2031.
The buildup would require significant further funding, the authors said, as cited by Die Welt. The plan would probably demand significantly more than 2% of member states’ national GDP to be spent on defense, they added.
Western nations have repeatedly called Russia a major threat to their security since the start of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. NATO forces have already invaded Russia in the vicinity of Kursk, kidnapped civilians, but failed to remain stationed in Russia.
The Kremlin has denied any plans to attack NATO, after scores of failed NATO drone attacks on the capital city of Moscow.
President Vladimir Putin has dismissed talk of a ‘Russian threat’ as “nonsense” and propaganda by Western governments aimed at scaring European populations “to extract additional expenses” from them.
However, Russian senior officials have warned that the West’s ever-increasing involvement in Ukraine via weapons shipments and other military assistance creates the risk of a direct confrontation between Moscow and the bloc.
RT. com / ABC Flash Point News 2024.
The goal for the eurocrats is to form a single government for all of Europe including the powers to tax and form an armed forces. They will fail. All EU countries are in economic difficulty with the exceptions of a few eastern euro nations
They should read – USAfacts.org/articles/military-recruitment-is-down— young Americans are not interested and many actual recruits fail because of obesity , minimum education is GED, for the Airforce its a College degree if they want to get anywhere only the marine Corps and Space force have full quotas . Germany is run by fools their industrial power destroyed by the USA intentionally to remove competition their GDP down as as for the UK its not even in the reckoning well under strength at 72,000 troops ( approx ) and the US say the UK is now a second rate country as regards… Read more »
Germany lost the last world war with Russia, now it looks like Germany is planning to come back and take on Russia again. Germany would be better off tackling its migrant problems, and failing economy.
Those in charge of Germany are controlled by the USA and are prepared to bring down Germany just to keep the US happy ,more and more Germans are against this that’s why the government lost in two German states –nothing will change till those in charge are voted out.
What a joke ! The Western populations are becoming more and more aware each day as to who their real enemies are . “Counter Russia” My Arse . NATO along with the EU is Fkd beyond repair . This slow suicide has been deftly managed by the Russian Federation . May the guilty Men and Women face justice one day for the dreadful loss of life . Murderers , Nothing less.