In the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine and further threats, NATO is again relying on deterrence. For the first time in its history, it activated its rapid deployment force and deployed thousands of soldiers to Eastern Europe.
Western defense alliance responds to Russian aggression in Ukraine. To deter Russia, NATO is relocating units of its rapid deployment force NRF, the NATO Response Force. This was announced by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday after a video conference of the heads of state and government of the 30 alliance states. He did not initially say where the units would be moved to. However, he spoke of several thousand soldiers who should be deployed on land, at sea and in the air.
According to information from the German Press Agency, ground troops could be sent to Romania, southwest of Ukraine. In any case, it is planned to send NRF units to an exercise in the NATO country Norway, which borders Russia. The exact locations were not mentioned.
NATO: preventive, proportionate, non-escalating deployment
It is the first time that parts of the NRF have been relocated as part of the deterrence and defense of Alliance territory, Stoltenberg said. The heads of state and government of the 30 member states stressed in a statement that the measures were “preventive, proportionate and not escalating”. According to Stoltenberg, the NRF soldiers will not be deployed in Ukraine. “This is a historic moment and the first time the Alliance has deployed these forces with high readiness in a deterrence and defense role,” said US President Joe Biden, speaking of a “flexible, serious force.”
In view of the Russian attack on Ukraine, NATO had already activated defense plans for the eastern alliance area on Thursday. The commander-in-chief of the NATO armed forces was thus given far-reaching powers, for example to request and relocate troops.
Rapid task force: around 25,000 men
The standby times for tens of thousands of Alliance soldiers have already been drastically reduced. According to information from the German Press Agency from NATO circles, forces of the NRF rapid reaction force must now be able to be deployed within just seven days instead of 30. A so-called “Notice-to-Move” period of 30 instead of 45 days applies to other units. The soldiers of the fastest reaction force VJTF, also known as “Spearhead”, currently have to be ready for a transfer to a crisis area within a maximum of five days.
Overall, the NRF has a strength of around 25,000 soldiers, including land forces in brigade strength, naval forces in the strength of an aircraft carrier combat force and air forces for up to 200 missions a day. The operational capability is designed for a full month. The size of the quota that has now been activated has not been announced. However, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg spoke of several thousand soldiers from all three units.
Stoltenberg: Prevent “spillover” of the Ukraine war
According to Stoltenberg, NATO wants to prevent the war in Ukraine from “spilling over” by moving the rapid deployment force to the east of the alliance area. NATO is not doing this to provoke the conflict, “but to prevent it and to ensure that Russia understands very clearly that we will not allow anything,” Stoltenberg told ZDF’s “Heute Journal” on Friday.
“Russia needs to understand that Ukraine is a valued partner that we support. But it’s a different story when it comes to allies.”
with material from DPA
Source: Stern
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