There are several levels of “readiness”. 100,000 troops can be transferred from Poland, Norway and the Baltic countries in 10 days. Next – troops from Germany for a period of 10 days to a month.
In the coming months, NATO plans to accelerate the accumulation of equipment along the eastern flank and bring in tens of thousands of forces that can quickly come to the aid of the allies. Such a move is intended to prevent the Russian Federation from expanding the war beyond Ukraine. Politico reports.
To do this, NATO will need to convince the leadership of individual countries to provide military personnel, instructors, large volumes of expensive weapons, equipment and ammunition.
However, there is a risk that not all allies will be involved in the new project, as many are concerned about the reduction of their own ammunition stocks, and, in addition, Ukraine is in dire need of a large number of shells and weapons from the allies.
The US and the EU are on track to attract more weapons, but it will take time, the journalists say.
James J. Townsend, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European Affairs and NATO Policy, drew the analogy of a dinner where everyone brings their own food.
If there is no organizer who would tell what to bring to whom, then “everyone will come with chips, because they are cheap and easy to get.”
Several levels of readiness
This spring, military commanders will submit updated regional defense plans that will redefine how the Alliance will protect its one billion people.
The plans are ambitious, with officials talking about 300,000 NATO troops in Europe. Several levels of readiness are also reported.
The first could involve bringing in about 100,000 troops within 10 days from Poland, Norway and the Baltic states, explained Heinrich Baub, former NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Policy and Planning. This also includes the multinational battlegroups that NATO has already established on the eastern flank.
The second level is troops from Germany, which can be deployed for a period of 10 days to a month. But it will definitely take time and expense, Gen. Ben Hodges explained.
Countries will need to find arms companies that can produce high-quality ammunition in a short time.
“Before, we stockpiled cheap ammo. That’s not what we need,” said Stacey Pettijohn, program manager at the Center for a New American Security.
For NATO’s European allies, she said, this is an even more pressing issue because many of them often rely on the US as their stronghold.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently pointed out the need for efforts on the part of the production to create stockpiles of ammunition.
In early March, he acknowledged that the current rate of expenditure of shells does not match the pace of production.
Recall that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba discussed with the US Secretary of State the possibility of accelerating the delivery of ammunition.
Focus previously reported on a 2 billion euro ammunition plan for Ukraine. The EU is close to reaching a new agreement.
