NATO to boost ‘high alert troops’ to over 300,000

BELGIUM: NATO allies will boost high readiness forces to “well over 300,000” troops as they strengthen their defences in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said Monday.

Leaders from the US-led military alliance will meet in Madrid this week for what Stoltenberg said would be a “transformative” summit as it grapples with the fallout of Moscow’s invasion of its pro-Western neighbour.

Stoltenberg said allies would bolster some of their battle group formations along NATO’s eastern flank “up to brigade level” — tactical units of around 3,000-5,000 troops — and ratchet up high readiness numbers to “well over 300,000”.

In addition, more heavy weaponry including air defence systems would be shifted forwards and forces pre-assigned to defend specific NATO members on the alliance’s exposed eastern edge.

“This constitutes the biggest overhaul of our collective defence and deterrence since the Cold War,” Stoltenberg said.

NATO currently has a high readiness force of around 40,000 troops under its command, but the more than 300,000 troops are expected to form a larger pool that the alliance could tap into in the case of an emergency.

NATO has been building up its forces in the east of the alliance since Moscow first moved into Ukraine with the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

NATO now has eight battle groups across its eastern members and Stoltenberg said some of these — likely in the Baltics and Poland — would be bolstered to “brigade level”.

– THE BANGKOK POST