NATO completes the major update of its counter-Russian strategy

The North Atlantic Alliance is finalizing the reform of its joint strategy to counter the Russian threat and terrorism against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Kremlin's constant threats.

This was reported by the Spanish newspaper El Pais, citing sources in the Alliance.

The architecture, designed for the new geopolitical reality and accelerated by the Russian invasion, is "the biggest reconfiguration since the Cold War," explained the interlocutors of the publication, who participated in the development of the strategy, the first complete and joint one in the last three decades.

The strategy already contains about 4,000 pages, which outlines reforms of a number of military procedures. It no longer envisages large military groups, but rather the deployment of smaller battalions. But, above all, the document analyzes and updates the Kremlin's various threats - military, cyber, and hybrid attacks - and the Alliance's response to these scenarios.

Military leaders of member states and Allied strategists are currently reviewing the strategy, which integrates national and regional plans. This new plan is expected to be approved at the summit in Vilnius in July.

On Wednesday, the NATO Secretary General met with the military leaders of the Alliance's member states in Brussels to analyze the new strategy. "The Regional Plans (as the strategy is called) will require an improved NATO force model to create more capable forces across the Alliance," said Admiral Rob Bauer, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee.

NATO is developing updated and geo-referenced defense plans that define how the Alliance can act against attacks on its territory and how it will counter two major threats: Russia and terrorist groups. The strategy also provides guidance on the defense of key locations. "For the first time since the Cold War, we will have objective, threat-based objectives," said Admiral Bauer.

The Alliance has already had plans in place to deal with threats from Russia almost from the very beginning of its existence. In fact, it was created as an organization to counter the Soviet Union. But the new reality created by the Kremlin's war in Ukraine and NATO's changing relationship with Russia has forced the Alliance to review, update and strengthen this strategy.

Author - Olena Madiak, 11/05/2023