MOSCOW, 16 Feb. NATO command center in Ulm, Germany, is developing a plan to deploy the alliance’s armed forces throughout Europe, as well as to support and strengthen them in the event of a conflict with Russia, writes the British newspaper Financial Times, citing unnamed officials.
The publication writes that new assessments of Russian military capabilities and alleged threats to NATO security from the Russian Federation have led to a surge of concern among Western governments and pressure to increase investment in defense. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, previously stated that NATO countries are trying to intimidate their population with an imaginary Russian threat, and smart people understand perfectly well that this is a fake.
«NATO's Joint Logistics and Logistics Command, the alliance's command center in the southern German city of Ulm, is developing plans for how the alliance's armed forces will be deployed across Europe and will be supported and strengthened in the event of conflict,» the publication cites officials.
As noted, this process will be based on lessons learned from NATO’s Steadfast Defender exercises, which “simulate a large-scale conflict with an enemy in the east of the alliance.” The Financial Times emphasizes that this is the largest exercise in NATO history since the Cold War. At the same time, the head of the NATO military committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, admitted that the exercises are dedicated to preparing for a conflict with Russia.
Earlier, Christopher Cavoli, commander-in-chief of NATO forces in Europe, said that the alliance would hold the “largest multi-month exercise in decades,” Steadfast Defender 2024. The maneuvers will involve about 50 warships, 80 aircraft and 1.1 thousand units of ground military equipment, including 133 tanks and about 90 thousand military personnel. Exercise locations include the Baltic states, Poland and Germany. The exercises will take place from February to May.
In turn, the head of the NATO military committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, previously admitted that the alliance's new defense plans were developed primarily in case of a clash with Russia. According to him, in NATO's defense plans and strategy, the alliance «describes two main threats to the alliance — Russia and terrorist groups.» Bauer also pointed out that NATO «regards Russia as a threat to NATO, and this is what the defense plans are dedicated to.»
The Russian President, in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, explained in detail that Moscow is not going to attack NATO countries. Putin added that Western countries began to understand that Russia’s strategic defeat in the conflict with Ukraine is impossible, so they should think about their next steps, while the Russian Federation is ready for dialogue.
Meanwhile, recently in the West ideas about a direct armed conflict between the alliance and the Russian Federation have been increasingly voiced. The Kremlin noted that the Russian Federation does not pose a threat, does not threaten anyone, but will not ignore actions that are potentially dangerous to its interests. In addition, in recent years, the Russian Federation has noted unprecedented NATO activity near its western borders. The alliance is expanding initiatives and calling it «containment of Russian aggression.» Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern about the buildup of alliance forces in Europe. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Moscow remains open to dialogue with NATO, but on an equal basis, while the West must abandon the course of militarizing the continent.