NATO’s rapid response plans
Print Edition
SEEKING to counter Russian aggression, NATO leaders yesterday approved plans to create a rapid response force with a headquarters in Eastern Europe that could quickly mobilize if an alliance country in the region were to come under attack.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said a command headquarters would be set up in Eastern Europe with supplies and equipment stockpiled there, enabling the “spearhead” force to mobilize and deploy quickly.
“It sends a clear message to any potential aggressor: Should you even think of attacking one ally, you will be facing the whole alliance,” Rasmussen said as a two-day NATO summit in Wales drew to a close.
NATO patrol flights over the Baltic and other air, land and naval measures already in place will be extended indefinitely, Rasmussen said, as part of a readiness package that also calls for upgraded intelligence-sharing and more short-term military exercises.
Rasmussen also said NATO stands “ready to help” Iraq fight back against a violent militant group, but noted the Iraqi government has not made such a request. US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron have been pressing NATO counterparts to join a coalition of nations that could degrade militants from the Islamic State group.
The threat posed by the Islamic State overshadowed some of the summit’s official agenda. Yet the leaders still spent a considerable amount of their time discussing the crisis in Ukraine before news of a cease-fire agreed at talks involving Ukraine, Russia and pro-Russian rebels.
The crisis had been among the most pressing issues during the meetings. While Ukraine is not part of the NATO alliance, Russia’s actions prompted fears among members in central and eastern Europe that the Kremlin could seek to make gains beyond their borders as well.
Rasmussen said the new force would give NATO a “continuous presence” in Eastern Europe, with alliance countries contributing forces on a rotational basis. There were no final decisions on where the forces would be based, but Rasmussen said Poland, Romania and the Baltics had all indicated a willingness to host the facilities.
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