According to NATO's military committee chief, Rob Bauer, the civilian population in the West should start preparing for "total war" with the Russian Federation.
NATO confirmed the preparations for Russia's invasion
According to Rob Bauer, a clash between the Alliance and the Russian army is not inevitable, but it is a possible scenario today.
We must realise that peace is not a given, that we live in peace. And that is why we (NATO forces) are preparing for a conflict with Russia. …But the discussion is much broader. It is also about the industrial base and about people who must understand that they play a certain role, emphasised the NATO top official.
According to the admiral, Sweden did the right thing by urging its population to prepare for war earlier this month.
Everything starts with this (...) Awareness that not everything can be predicted and not everything will be good in the next 20 years, he explained.
Moreover, Rob Bauer's warning was sounded on the eve of the beginning of the largest-scale drills of the Alliance since the Cold War, during which the troops of the bloc will practice repelling the invasion of the Russian army.
NATO's top leader insists on transforming the bloc's combat capabilities
Recently, Rob Bauer publicly called on the Alliance to urgently transform its combat capabilities in an era of unpredictability in which "anything" can happen.
His demand was heard during a two-day meeting of the commanders of the armed forces of NATO countries in Brussels.
We must achieve what we want to achieve for our collective defence. However, the responsibility for freedom rests not only on the shoulders of those in uniform. To strengthen our collective defense and at the same time support Ukraine in its existential struggle, we need a community-wide approach, added Rob Bauer.
