The North Atlantic Alliance’s new battleplans will require members to produce hundreds of thousands of new soldiers and military equipment for a potential war with Russia. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg claims the alliance has half a million soldiers at high readiness for conflict in Europe.
A military source speaking with Reuters discussed the demands of the alliance’s secret military plans. He said the strategy requires NATO members to create 35-50 brigades of 3,000 to 7,000 troops. The source admitted training and arming 100,000-350,000 new men is a significant challenge.
The plans were agreed upon at last year’s NATO summit in Lithuania and are expected to be updated at this week’s alliance gathering in the US. The new strategy was adopted as the alliance’s largest military, the US, is struggling to meet its recruitment goals. It is the bloc’s first plan for war with Moscow since the end of the Cold War.
Stoltenberg claimed that the alliance already has 500,000 soldiers at high-readiness in Eastern Europe in a recent speech. “Today, we have 500,000 troops on high readiness, combat-ready battlegroups in the eastern part of the Alliance for the first time,” he said Friday.
NATO will additionally face a challenge in finding munitions to equip the soldiers. The official explained many of the new brigades will require additional air defenses. It was noted that Germany has just nine Patriot air defense systems, down from a high of 36. In 2022, Berlin had 12 systems but transferred a quarter of those to Kiev.
“Air and missile defenses, long-range weapons, logistics as well as large land maneuver formations are among our top priorities,” the official said. “NATO will likely set more demanding capability targets for allies, as we develop forces that can implement our plans and meet the threats we face. We are confident that our deterrence is and will remain strong.”
It is unclear when the Patriots markers, RTX and Lockheed Martin, will be able to equip new brigades. The systems are in ample demand for potential conflicts with China and Russia. The White House recently determined all newly produced Patriot interceptors will go to Ukraine.
