Top NATO Official: Alliance Ready For Potential Conflict With Russia

NATO realised the changing security situation back in 2014.

The top NATO military official believes that the Alliance countries are prepared for a potential direct clash with Russia.

The European Truth writes that Admiral Rob Bauer, chairman of the NATO Military Committee, said this in an interview with ArmiaInform in Kyiv in response to a question about whether the Alliance is ready for such a development.

Admiral Bauer noted that NATO realised the change in the security situation back in 2014, after the Russian occupation of Crimea. From 2019, the Alliance countries started to return to collective security: they changed their defence strategy, operational planning, the forces needed to perform all these tasks.

"Now we all realise that in the return to collective security, time is not on our side. Because the enemy decides when and where they attack you and how long the conflict will last. Ukraine, unfortunately, has become convinced of this (...).

Are we ready? The answer is yes! It is our main task to be ready. If it happens today, then you have to fight with what you have. It's always a combination of being ready for today and at the same time improving our capabilities for the future," said Rob Bauer.

When asked about readiness on NATO's eastern flank, for which the potential threats are the highest, he reminded that the Alliance has expanded its presence in the Baltics since 2016, and with the outbreak of full-scale war in Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria.

"We now have eight such battalion-sized battlegroups, which can be merged into a brigade if necessary. The countries concerned are constantly working on this mechanism. If more is needed, then we will consider it. But for now, this is enough," the admiral noted.

He added that modern warfare also has other dimensions like cyberspace or attacks in space, and Russia also has ways to exert influence in the Arctic, the western Atlantic, Africa, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea.

"It would be foolish to focus only on the eastern flank, because the Russians are not just there. They are everywhere. And that is why NATO constantly monitors their actions and reacts accordingly if necessary," Rob Bauer added.

He also said he is not overly concerned about the prospect of increased threats from Russia after Putin's re-election because the war against Ukraine has weakened Russia, and replenishing and modernising its forces will be hampered by Western sanctions.

"We see that Russia has the capability to produce significant amounts of weapons, but their quality has been steadily declining since the war began. They have certain plans but are at war, so they need a lot of time. It's not going to be easy for them," the admiral said.

Rob Bauer also commented on the discussion about the potential deployment of the military of a NATO country in Ukraine, noting that this affects the interests of all allies, so such decisions, even by one country, require consultations between them.