BRUSSELS – NATO is shaping its new military plans on the assumption that Moscow will make a comeback.
Admiral Rob Bauer, chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, told reporters Monday that although the bulk of Russia’s land forces are fighting in Ukraine, he believes Kremlin forces still pose a threat.
“We are convinced that the Russians will get their act together again,” he said. “And that’s why the plans are not based on the actual status of the Russian army, but on the status of the Russian army before it attacked Ukraine.”
Russia, Bauer said, “will learn lessons from this war” and NATO “will continue to view it as a serious threat.” That includes the seas, air and space, where, in addition to nuclear capabilities, Russian forces “still have very , very efficient”.
“We should never underestimate the Russians and their ability to bounce back, as they have shown a couple of times in history,” he added.
Next Tuesday and Wednesday, leaders of the western alliance will meet in Vilnius, where they will adopt historic new regional military plans and discuss how to increase defense investment as Russia continues its war in Ukraine.
With regard to NATO’s new military plans, Bauer emphasized that the summit would mark the beginning of a long implementation process.
“We have to go out and do our job – to get the larger numbers of forces with a higher level of readiness, we have to go against the plans, we have to buy the capabilities that we need,” he said, “and that’s going to take time.” ” .”
Implementation of the plans range from increasing recruitment to ensuring sufficient weapons and ammunition are produced – along with more resources for defense.
“We need more money overall to pay for it,” said Bauer. In addition, NATO’s new model for highly operational forces will require “ensuring that nations have a mechanism in place to increase the number of people available to the armed forces”.
When asked about the status of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, the admiral resisted a narrative of disappointment with Ukrainian forces.
“It is extremely difficult, this type of operation,” stressed the chairman. “I commend the way they’re doing it,” he said, “and I think they’re — for good reason — cautious in places.”