A confidential NATO report has questioned the alliance’s ability to defend against a Russian attack. Eastern European members of the alliance fear Russian aggression.
NATO would be unable to repel a Russian attack on its Eastern European members, according to an internal alliance document cited by the German magazine Der Spiegel (German language) in its Saturday edition. The internal document, titled ”Progress Report on the Strengthened Deterrence and Defense Capability of the Alliance,” questioned the ability of the NATO Response Force to ”react rapidly and – if necessary – sustainably.”
”NATO’s ability to logistically support rapid reinforcement in the strongly expanded territory of the European commander’s area of responsibility has atrophied since the end of the Cold War,” Der Spiegel quoted the document as saying. It attributed NATO’s deficiencies to a smaller command structure since the end of the Cold War and logistical difficulties on the alliance’s eastern flank. Läs artikel