The Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, admitted that NATO is discussing the possibility of pre-emptive high-precision strikes on the territory of Russia, if a conflict with the aggressor state begins.
Points of attention
- Admiral Rob Bauer of NATO advocates for the consideration of preemptive strikes on Russia in case of aggression, signaling a shift in defense tactics.
- NATO has recalibrated its defense posture towards preparing for potential threats from the Russian Federation and China, emphasizing the need for proactive measures.
- The European countries are ramping up preparations for potential conflicts, including increasing the number of bunkers and prioritizing investments in the defense industry.
- Bauer highlights the importance of businesses in Europe and America being alert to the strategic implications of their commercial decisions, especially in dealing with powerful nations like Russia and China.
- The deteriorating international security situation has prompted discussions on boosting defense capabilities, such as creating more shelters in Germany, while challenges persist in the European air defense and ground forces readiness.
NATO is discussing high-precision strikes on Russia
The admiral reported that NATO is discussing the possibility of preemptive high-precision strikes on the territory of Russia in the event of war.
It is more competent not to wait [for Russia to strike], but to hit the launchers in Russia in case Russia attacks us. A combination of precision strikes is required that will disable the systems used to attack us and we must strike first.
Rob Bauer
Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral
Bauer called the fact that NATO changed its attitude towards its essence as a defense alliance a positive thing. In addition, the perception of the idea that it is necessary to "sit and wait for an attack" and only then to react has changed.
According to him, the Russian army has significantly increased in number compared to pre-war times, but since then its quality has decreased.
At this time, the Russians are not as much of a threat as they were in February 2022, so we have some time to prepare, he said, adding that this means more investment in the defense industry.
At the same time, Bauer urged businesses to prepare for a "wartime scenario" and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly to be less vulnerable to blackmail from countries such as Russia and China.
In particular, he recalled the first months of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when Russia cut off gas supplies to Europe.
We thought we had an agreement with Gazprom, but in fact we had an agreement with Mr. Putin. The same goes for Chinese-owned infrastructure and goods. We actually have an agreement with (Chinese President) Xi (Jinping),” Bauer warned, noting that China mines 60% of all rare earth materials in the world and processes even more — 90%.
The admiral noted that the chemical ingredients for many important medicines consumed in the West also come from China.
We are naive to think that the Communist Party will never take advantage of this power. Business leaders in Europe and America must recognize that the commercial decisions they make have strategic implications for their nation's security.
NATO is preparing for war with the Russian Federation
Due to the deterioration of the international security situation, they want to create more shelters in Germany. According to the government, there are currently only 579 bunkers in Germany, in which only 480,000 people can hide. During the Cold War, there were 2,000 such shelters.
Ex-commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhnyi believes that the European air defense system will last no more than three months in the war against the Russian Federation. The situation with ground forces is even worse.
Politico noted that the number of soldiers in Britain's land army is now the lowest since the 1700s.
Meanwhile, British Defense Secretary John Healy said last month that the state of the armed forces was "much worse than we thought" after the Labor party won the election.
At the same time, on November 20, it became known that the British authorities decided to dispose of warships, drones and helicopters. The British opposition condemned such a move, as it could weaken national security.
