The Alliance talked about strengthening its eastern borders and the need to send military personnel to the border line.
Over the next few months, NATO plans to accelerate efforts to stockpile equipment along the alliance's eastern edge and plans to deploy tens of thousands of troops there. They will be able to come to the aid of allies in a short time.
As he writes Politico, such a move aims to stop Russia from expanding the war beyond Ukraine. However, to implement it, NATO must convince individual countries to provide various elements: soldiers, training, better infrastructure, as well as large quantities of expensive weapons, equipment and ammunition.
It is noted that against the background of concern about the volume of their own stockpiles of weapons, which has arisen in some countries, as well as Ukraine's urgent need for a large number of shells, there is a risk that not all NATO allies will contribute to the alliance's new plans to strengthen the eastern region.
“If there's no one to cook and tell everyone what to bring, then everyone will bring potato chips because potato chips are cheap and easy to get. Nations would rather bring potato chips,” explained former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy James J. Townsend Jr.
The publication emphasizes that this is a challenge that NATO has faced in the past. Experts fear this could become an ongoing problem for the alliance as Russia's war against Ukraine drags into its second year. While the US and EU plan to acquire more weapons, the process of stockpiling will inevitably take time.
"This can hinder NATO's aspirations. Military leaders this spring will submit updated regional defense plans that are expected to help re-evaluate how the alliance protects its 1 billion citizens. The numbers will be big, and officials are pushing the idea of up to 300 NATO troops needed to help the new model work. This means a lot of coordination and persuasion," the article says.
It is noted that the first echelon of NATO troops may consist of about 100 soldiers, ready to be deployed within 10 days. It may include military personnel from Poland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The second echelon of troops, the publication writes, will support these soldiers, ready to deploy within 10-30 days from countries such as Germany.
